Mini-Ventures of the Paw Patrol
by Griffin Stone
Summary: Spanning the six-month gap between Pup of the Forest and the upcoming Echoes, this story is full of short stories revolving around the Paw Patrol as a whole or individual adventures. Requests closed.
1. Pups and the Stranded Kitty

**A/N: Just a reminder to read this as if Pups Save a Flock and Take My Paw were never posted. If you didn't see the build-up to the stories being removed and are in any way confused, you can PM me for an explanation.**

 **I know I said I wanted to chill things down, but this is about as close to canon-typical as I can get.**

* * *

Wisp crouched behind a pile of bean bags, grinning to herself as the sound of more pups joining in the search reached her. She squirmed a bit, then made herself still before she bumped the bean bags.

"Come on, now is not the time fow games," Zuma complained. "It's bedtime."

Wisp pressed her paws to her mouth to muffle her giggles. Maybe it was the weeks of laying around resting, but she was really restless tonight. She was tired of resting, even though she knew she needed it.

A snuffling sound made Wisp catch her breath. Chase was on her trail! She froze, but the German Shepherd rounded her hiding spot a few seconds later.

Chase halted at the sight of Wisp, who did her best at puppy eyes. She tried to silently tell Chase to not say-

"I found her."

That.

"You're no fun," Wisp grumped as she reluctantly followed Chase out of hiding.

Zuma ran over, wearing a stern frown. "How many times do I have to tell you, Wisp? You need west, not to be wunning awound."

"I'm bored of resting!" Wisp said. "You made me stay in bed all afternoon!"

Wisp was so frustrated, she forgot to keep her voice level. As soon as she'd finished the shout, her breath seized. Her whole body jerked with a harsh cough that knocked onto her rear.

"That is why," Zuma said, his worried eyes betraying his blunt statement.

Wisp scowled at her paws. It had been a month and a half since she had caught pneumonia, and her lungs were still giving her trouble. She rarely got as tired in the day, at least, but Wisp couldn't run or yell without collapsing into a coughing fit.

Marshall kept telling her it was only a matter of time before she would be back to normal. Wisp couldn't help but think he was keeping something from her, though, when he said that. He wouldn't quite look her in the eye.

"We'll do something fun tomorrow," Rocky said, joining Zuma.

"I'm pretty sure we've exhausted all the indoor games," Wisp said, glancing at the snowy outdoors.

"Well, you can't go outside," Marshall said. The dalmation went up to Chase. "You either."

A tired expression crossed Chase's face before he went blank. Wisp knew how much Chase wanted to insist that he was fine, but he had agreed to let Marshall coddle him for as long as he needed.

Because, eventually, Chase and Wisp were going to have to convince the Paw Patrol that Geo -a pup most assumed had died three years before- was indeed alive. The last time Chase had tried, it hadn't ended well. Marshall, assuming that stress had gotten to him, had confined him to the Lookout until he decided all was well with him.

"Let's just go to bed," Chase said instead. "We'll figure out what to do tomorrow in the morning."

"Fine," Wisp said with dramatic reluctance.

Wisp finally let Zuma lead her over to where she had a bed made up in the Lookout. Chase and Marshall slept nearby. The rest of the pups headed to their puphouses, and Ryder headed upstairs.

Despite her protests, Wisp was asleep in seconds.

* * *

The next day started off pretty well. It was so cold outside, that no one even entertained the thought of playing anywhere but inside the Lookout.

Wisp convinced everyone to help her in her favorite pastime: gathering everything possible and making a series of tunnels and caves in the Lookout's main room. Marshall always insisted the she didn't do any major moving, but she could usually convince the other pups to let her help build if Marshall was out of sight and as long as she didn't start coughing.

An hour into the build, however, the pups' tags blinked, and Ryder called for them.

"Ryder needs us!" everyone yelped.

Rubble took off from his spot beside Wisp, and Zuma walked with Wisp as they weaved through the half-built tunnels. They reached the elevator behind Chase, Skye, Rocky, and Rubble.

"Wait for me!"

Wisp couldn't see Marshall, but she _did_ see when the closest pillow wall collapsed. Marshall came flying into the elevator, accompanied by a pile of pillows that half-buried the pups.

Wisp calmly looked around at the mess before saying, "That was some cave-in."

All the pups laughed as they kicked pillows out of the way of the elevator doors. They were whisked up to the top of the Tower, and leaped out.

Wisp and Chase were both without uniforms. Marshall wore his EMT uniform, and Rocky wore Chase's police uniform. All the other pups had on their usual.

"Paw Patrol ready for action, Ryder, sir!" Chase said, slightly lacking his usual enthusiasm. Ready, sure, but two of the team knew that they would be staying behind.

"Thanks for hurrying, pups," Ryder greeted, smiling at the pups. He turned as a screen descended from the ceiling, animating the situation as Ryder narrated. "Katie, Cali, and Alex were ice-skating earlier. Cali wandered onto too-thin ice, and it broke! She's safe on a piece of ice, but she currently floating in the middle of the lake!"

All the pups shivered sympathetically.

"For this mission, I'll need… Zuma! You'll use your hoverboat to get close to Cali and get her to safety."

"Let's dive in!"

"Skye, your copter might stir up the water too much, but I'll need you there in case we need someone to swoop in quickly."

"Let's take to the sky!"

"Marshall, I'll need you to check Cali after we get her back, to make sure she isn't hurt."

"I'm ready for a ruff, ruff rescue!"

"Rocky, you'll be standing in for Chase. You'll need to make sure everyone stays off the ice with Chase's cones and megaphone."

"Green means go!"

Wisp shared a look with Chase, and Rocky gave them a sheepish grin. Until Marshall was ready to let Chase back on the field, the others had had to fill in for him on missions.

Most of the other pups had given up treating Chase like a frail, sickly pup a week after his "nervous breakdown." Ryder and Marshall were the only ones who didn't see that Chase was just fine.

Wisp turned her attention back to Ryder as he scrolled through the Pup Pad once again.

"Rubble, I'll need your bulldozer at the lake as well. The south side of the lake never freezes well, so we might as well build a rock wall to keep people from accidentally going onto the ice."

"Rubble on the double!"

"Alright! Paw Patrol is on a roll!"

Wisp leaped to her paws and howled as Ryder slid out of sight, and the chosen pups leaped onto the slide. She fast-walked to the window and peered out as Ryder and the pups raced away, then turned to Chase.

"So… what now? It's just the two of us." Wisp asked.

In response, Chase barked and said, "Screen!"

Wisp turned to the large screen, then saw in image appear. It took her only a moment to recognize the front of Chase's vehicle, and that the view was from Rocky's collar.

"You _want_ to watch a mission you can't go on?" Wisp said in disbelief.

"That's what I've done for the last two weeks," Chase said, not taking his eyes from the screen.

Wisp sighed and sat beside Chase, having nothing better to do. She quickly decided that watching someone drive was much more boring than actually driving. Luckily, the Paw Patrol soon reached the lake.

Katie, standing beside Alex, waved Ryder and the Pups over and pointed toward the ice, directing the pups to where Cali was floating.

Ryder nodded and waved a hand. Zuma drove his hoverboat onto the ice and slowly made his way to the stranded cat. Meanwhile, Rocky jumped to the ground and started setting up cones while Rubble drove to the other side of the lake to start the rock wall.

"Zuma's cautiously making his way across the ice…" Wisp said in a low tone. "He pauses, then continues. Oh, what's that! The ice is breaking out from under him! Zuma backs away, and again pauses to find a new route."

Wisp stole a glance at Chase. He gave no indication of hearing the commentary, so she shrugged and continued.

"With a new path in mind, Zuma makes his way forward once again. He inches past what must be a weak patch, then pauses at the edge of the ice. With slow, deliberate motions, he drops softly into the water with barely a splash. I give it a nine! Would've been a ten, but the slight ripples has disturbed our distressed kitten."

"He's in the water, but he's… not moving. Zuma's head moves back and forth, and now he is standing and calling back."

"Thewe's too much ice!" Zuma yelled to Ryder. "It might punctuwe my floats if I try to go through it."

"And the route is simply to treacherous! No matter where Zuma looks, it's jagged ice just waiting to send him to the bottom of the lake!"

"What are you doing?"

Wisp jumped at Chase's question, then turned. Chase had looked away from the screen, and had an eyebrow raised at her.

"I'm, uh… livening it up a bit?" Wisp tried.

The other eyebrow raised. After a moment, though, Chase turned forward again without protest. Hesitantly, Wisp turned back as well and started up again.

"Ryder gives the reluctant order to come back. Looks like it is up to Skye to handle this delicate-"

"Ex-cat-tion," Chase interrupted.

Wisp blinked. "What?"

"Extraction. Ex- _cat_ -tion," Chase repeated.

Wisp gaped at the German Shepherd. Slowly, the shock turned to smugness. "Is that why you've been so quiet? It took you all this time to come up with that?"

"I don't hear any wordplay from you," Chase said with a superior sniff.

"Wordplay or word _flop?_ "

"Just watch the mission," Chase huffed.

Snickering, Wisp focused back to the screen. Skye was currently attempting to reach Cali with the harness, but the water -true to Ryder's prediction- was getting too stirred up to do so safely. Cali simply huddled against the ice, refusing to go after the harness when it dropped close.

"And the latest plan goes up in waves!" Wisp said as Skye veered away.

"And you say that I can't use wordplay?" Chase teased.

Wisp swatted Chase's side with her tail. "Just watch the mission," she repeated.

"They need a better way to get to Cali," Chase said, having taken Wisp seriously. "Marshall's ladder could reach easily, but he needs his ambulance once Cali is back to shore."

"Maybe the wrecking ball on Rubble's bulldozer?" Wisp suggested. "If he moved it close enough, Cali could climb on."

Chase was silent for a moment, eyes flicking around the screen. "No. She's too far out."

Wisp watched the screen. The rest of the pups were standing helplessly around while Ryder tried to come up with a new plan.

"But…" Without explanation, Chase tapped his collar. "Ryder, come in."

Wisp saw Ryder pull out his Pup Pad. "Yes, Chase?"

"I know how you can rescue Cali!"

Ryder frowned in confusion, then he turned to Rocky and smiled. "What's your plan?"

* * *

A bit later, all the pups were in position. Rocky, Zuma, Marshall, and Ryder were all standing beside a pile of stones on one side of the lake. On the other side, Rubble waited with his bulldozer backed to the edge of the lake. Skye, Katie, and Alex were beside him. Wisp and Chase watched through Rocky's collar that had been set aside on the police cruiser.

"We're ready here," Ryder said. "Skye, get into position."

Skye yipped and climbed onto Rubble's wrecking ball, aided by Ryder's coat and a couple of scarves wrapped around the ball and cable. She perched at the top, clinging to the cable.

"Rubble, your turn. Nice and easy."

Craning his head around, Rubble began to work the bulldozer controls. He slowly extended the bar as far as it would go, and moved the wrecking ball as close to Cali's ice float as he could. Still, Cali floated five feet away.

"We're going to have to move fast," Ryder said. He called across the lake, "Katie, make sure Cali stays calm! If she gets too startled, she could fall in."

Katie nodded and began to talk soothingly to Cali. Wisp was relieved to see the cat's fur lay flat, and she turned toward Skye with Katie's prompting.

"Everyone's in position," Chase reported. "Now!"

As one, Ryder and the pups beside him threw their shoulders to the pile of stones. The pile wobbled, then the stones started to rattle into the lake. Suddenly, the whole pile fell free. Ryder and the pups leaped free.

The resulting waves swept across the water, slapping against Cali's ice float. The cat mewled when she was splashed, but the force was enough to drift Cali beneath Skye.

"Go, Skye!" Ryder called.

Skye clambered into a scarf that had been hooked to form a sort of large pocket. From there, she leaned down and reached out her paws.

"Cali, go to Skye!" Katie said.

Cali gave a tiny huff and turned her head up to Skye. She stepped closer, then balanced up on her hind legs to reach up. Skye quickly wrapped her paws around the cat, and swung them both up to the scarf.

"I have her!" Skye yipped happily. "You can take us back now!"

Everyone cheered as Rubble brought the pair back. Cali wasted no time in jumping to Katie's arms, and Ryder helped Skye down. In short order, Cali was checked and cleared by Marshall. Katie, Cali, and Alex left, while Ryder and the pups went to finish the lake's stone wall.

Wisp turned to Chase. "Well. Saving cats even when you aren't there. How did anyone ever think Paw Patrol could function without you?"

Chase smiled slightly. He reached up to tap his collar, causing the glow to vanish.

"Chase?" Wisp asked when he didn't say anything.

"Paw Patrol needs all of its pups," Chase said. He stood and stalked away, muttering. "Every last one."

* * *

A bit later, Wisp went to find Chase. She had found him messing with the makeshift tunnels in the main room, and they had built mini forts until the others returned. By then, Chase had been back to his smiling self, and ran outside to greet them.

"Chase!" Marshall complained.

"I'm fine, really!" Chase insisted. He nudged Marshall when the dalmation leaped to the ground. "I could've come with you today."

Marshall shook his head. "Not yet, Chase. Come inside, it's too cold out here for you. And you, Wisp!"

"I'm inside!" Wisp protested from her spot at the door.

"But the door is open!"

Wisp couldn't help but laugh as Marshall made her and Chase move away from the open door. Ryder and the other pups were close behind.

"I'm glad the mission went well." Wisp said to Zuma. "A very successful ex-cat-tion."

Zuma blinked, then laughed. "How did you come up with that one?"

Chase gave a yip of protest. "That was mine!"

Everyone laughed at the offended look on Chase's face. After a moment, even he joined in.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, everyone, I'm going to need some help with the Mini-Ventures. Any of you readers know that I love drama and build-up. What I have a hard time doing is simple, basic stories with no ulterior motive. The Mini-Ventures will be filled with hints toward Wisp and finding Geo, but I also need some simple story lines to build them around.**

 **So! I'm looking for suggestions! The Mini-Ventures won't have a primary focus on any one character (pulling Wisp a little out of the spotlight) so if you have an idea for a story to revolve around any of the pups, feel free to let me know! Honestly, the more suggestions I get, the longer the Mini-Ventures will go. This story will be covering a six-month period, after all. Right now, I am looking for a story idea or two that can be accomplished with Chase still being confined to the Lookout. After that, it can be pretty much anything you like, as long as it is between canon and my normal in terms of drama. Sorry, but no new OC's or mercenaries.**


	2. Pups and the Accidental Ice Rink

**A/N:**

 **This idea was from wrldqueek. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was cold. Way too cold.

Rubble grumbled to himself and rolled to the side, sliding out from under his blanket. Immediately, his eyes shot open as the coldness became much more clear to him. He scrambled to his paws and looked around.

He was still in his puphouse, which were made to stay warm in winter and cool in the summer. But right now, the small space felt like he was standing outside!

Feeling shivers begin to wrack his body, Rubble grabbed his blanket and bundled up again.

It soon became clear, however, that the blanket wasn't helping much. Even with the thick folds wrapped around him, he still shivered.

"Rubble! Rubble, are you in there?"

Confused by Rocky's voice coming from outside, Rubble went to the door and opened it.

It was snowy and dark outside, and so cold Rubble felt like his fur was going to freeze. Rocky was standing there with his own blanket wrapped around him, and he hurried inside and closed the door.

"Your heater isn't working, either?" Rocky said, taking in Rubble's shivering frame.

"I don't know, it's just really cold in here," Rubble said.

Rocky frowned. "Something is wrong with the puphouses. Let's get Skye and go inside the Lookout."

"Can't we just stay here?" Rubble pleaded.

Rocky shook his head. "No way. If Skye's puphouse is having the same problem, she'll have to leave hers anyway."

"Okay…"

After wrapping his blanket more securely, Rubble followed Rocky to the door. The pair rushed out into the snowy cold.

Snow was falling thickly. Once the pups were out of the safety of Rubble's house, a gusty wind almost bowled Rubble over.

"Careful!" Rocky yelled over the wind as he braced his shoulder against Rubble.

The pups stumbled against the wind toward Skye's house. Rubble considered himself lucky to be so strong; Rocky was being tossed back and forth with the stronger gusts, even as he tried to steady Rubble.

The pair finally reached Skye's house, and paused. Rubble could already feel ice forming on his fur, and clumps of snow was sticking to Rocky's bushier fur. Before either could even knock, the door slid open.

Skye was at the door, already bundled in her own blanket. She jumped at the sight of Rubble and Rocky, then pointed towards the Lookout. Rocky nodded and turned away, Rubble close behind.

Rubble's paws were rapidly numbing at that point. He already couldn't feel his ears and tail, and an incessant shiver had begun.

The pups reached the Lookout doors, which opened in time as a huge gust blew them all forward. The stumbled into the Lookout lobby, the warmth a shock to Rubble after so much cold.

"Wha? Who?"

Rubble heavily lifted his head and spotted Wisp blinking at them from her nest along the left wall. In a second, her eyes shot wide open.

"What happened?!"

Wisp's cry caused Chase sleeping nearby to lift his head. The border collie scrambled out of her bed, accidentally stepping on Zuma, who jolted awake with a yelp. This brought Chase to his paws and Marshall to shift in his nest beside Chase.

Wisp hurried over to them and looked them up and down before saying, "Come on, get into some dry blankets."

Rubble only shivered. He felt his blanket get pulled off, and lifted his head to see Zuma holding his snow-covered blanket. The lab winced and tossed the blanket aside. Chase arrived with some dry blankets and he bundled Rubble up.

Marshall ran over. He tripped, and Skye barely got out of the way to avoid being ran into. Marshall crashed into the wall, but still bounced to his paws with a cheery call.

"I'm good!"

The dalmation hurried around the half-frozen pups. As he was sniffing over Rubble, footsteps made the pups turn.

Ryder was coming down the steps, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. He was wearing a thick bathrobe.

"What happened, pups?" Ryder asked, taking in them all.

"The puphouse heaters aren't working," Rocky said.

"Come to think of it, it's kind of cool in here," Chase commented.

Rubble grabbed his blanket with his warming paws and pulled it closer. "Wh-what does that mean?"

"Just that the Lookout might not be as warm tonight." Ryder smiled at Rubble before he could get more nervous, then announced, "So, we'll just have to make one big pup pile!"

"Yay!" Rubble cried happily, forgetting his fear.

Zuma, Chase, and Marshall enthusiastically started gathering blankets and pillows that hadn't already been pulled out. Wisp, wearing a concerned frown, moved behind Skye and Rocky and started to herd them forward. Rubble was still too cold to get up, so Ryder scooped up the young pup and carried him to the big nest being built.

In a short matter of time, the nest was ready. Everyone burrowed in. Rubble tucked himself under Ryder's arm, feeling Skye cuddle up beside him. Chase was on Ryder's other side, and the other pups were hidden by blankets.

Warm at last, Rubble closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

" _What_ is making that noise?!"

The infuriated cry, followed by a fit of coughing, jolted Rubble awake. He was sent rolling to the ground when Ryder shot up, and it took a moment for Rubble to get his paws under him and sort out what had happened.

Wisp was sitting up, shaking with coughs. Zuma was letting her lean against him while she got her breathing under control. Marshall and Chase were hurrying to Wisp's side. Skye and Rocky had been tossed to the ground as well when Ryder sat up.

 _Buzz_

Rubble's head cocked at the sound. Wisp gave a low growl, eyes narrowing in Ryder's direction. The boy looked at her, then sheepishly reached back to pull his buzzing Pup Pad from the blankets.

" _All that over Ryder's Pup Pad?"_ Rubble wondered.

Wisp turned away, waving a paw at the others trying to help her. She scrambled to the ground, still coughing slightly, and walked away.

Zuma grimaced. "Sowwy, guys. She's not been sleeping well."

Marshall straightened. "Why didn't you-"

"Say something?" Zuma shook his head. "Dude, not even you can cuwe nightmawes."

This caught everyone's attention. Ryder, who had been about to answer the Pup Pad, paused to look at Zuma.

Zuma's eyes immediately widened, as if he had said too much. In an obvious change of subject, he said, "Awe you gonna answew that, Wyder?"

To Rubble's disappointment, Ryder took the cue. He lifted the Pup Pad and pressed the screen, drawing the pup's attention.

"Hey, Mayor Goodway," Ryder managed before the mayor began to talk rapidly.

"Oh, Ryder! It's just awful! We're trapped, no one can leave, and the cars are just everywhere! Help!"

"Woah, woah, what's wrong?" Ryder asked.

"Oh, right. The pipes in the town hall froze and burst last night! The water is covering the streets and its all frozen! Chickoletta and I are stuck inside, and no one can get close without slipping!"

"Wow, we'll be right there. No job is too slick, no pup is to small. Pups, to the Lookout!"

Rubble giggled as he and the others ran for the elevator. They were _already_ in the Lookout!

Wisp was waiting for them in the elevator. As the the pups raced in, Marshall tripped. Most of the pups managed to dodge, but Marshall crashed into Chase and ended up sprawled with his neck and shoulders across Chase's back and hind legs in the air.

"Oops, didn't mean to give you the cold shoulder," Marshall said, grinning.

Chase laughed, dislodging the dalmation. The elevator closed and the pups were swept to the top of the Lookout.

The pups leaped into position. This time, Skye was dwarfed by Chase's police uniform and Marshall wore his EMT outfit. Wisp and Chase were once again without uniforms.

"Paw Patrol, ready for action, Ryder, sir!" Chase proclaimed.

Ryder smiled at the pups. Despite having taken the stairs, he had still arrived well ahead of the pups. At a press of a button, the large screen descended behind him.

"You heard Mayor Goodway, pups. The area around town hall has flooded and frozen over. It's a nice ice rink, but we can't have it in the middle of town!" The pups laughed at the thought. "Now, for this mission, I'll need… Rubble! You'll use your bulldozer to break up the ice and carry it away."

"Rubble on the double!"

"Skye, you'll be taking Chase's place today. You'll need to use his cones to block off the ice, and may need the winch in case anyone got stuck."

"This pup's gotta fly!" Skye yipped, though she would be on the ground this time.

"Rocky, you'll need to fix the burst pipes and maybe fix the town hall's boiler. If the Lookout is having trouble, most people probably will as well."

"Green means go!"

"Marshall, we'll need your EMT gear in case anyone has slipped and gotten hurt."

Silence met Ryder's announcement. The pups turned to check on Marshall and found his eyes only half open. Zuma nudged him, and Marshall's eyes shot open.

"Ready for a ruff, ruff rescue!"

"Are you okay, Marshall?" Ryder asked in concern.

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. Just a… little tired," Marshall said with a grin.

" _He's tired?"_ Rubble thought, eyeing him and Wisp. The border collie was looking a bit droopy, too.

"Maybe it's best if you stay here," Ryder said.

"Nope, I'm just-"

Chase walked out of line and in front of Marshall. He stared at Marshall for a long moment, until the dalmation finally dropped his gaze.

"Okay, I'll stay," Marshall muttered. He lifted his head to gaze past Chase. "But call me if you need me, okay?"

"Okay…" Ryder said hesitantly. Chase turned, and the two old friends turned to him with a smile, prompting Ryder to smile back. "Paw Patrol is on a roll!"

Rubble and the others leaped to the paws, howling in excitement as Ryder ran past. Ryder slid down his pole, and Rubble ran to the slide, hearing the others behind him.

He yipped and howled happily as he was deposited into his truck, then Rocky and Skye landed in their designated vehicles. Ryder's ATV roared out of the garage, and the pups fell in line behind him.

It was still very cold, but the wind and snow had stopped overnight. There wasn't even snow on the ground, as the wind had blown it all away.

A block away from the town hall, Ryder gave a startled yell and veered off. Rubble slammed on the brakes when he noticed the ice ahead. Rocky had to turn before he hit Rubble, and Skye was able to stop Chase's cruiser in time.

Ryder climbed off his ATV and walked over to where the ice began. "That's a lot of ice. Rubble, start clearing a path, please! Skye, can you check to see how far the ice goes and block it off best you can."

"Okay!" Rubble said.

"On it!" Skye yipped.

Rubble drove his bulldozer close to the ice. He lifted the bucket, then smashed it down on the ice. The ice cracked, so Rubble backed up the bulldozer and lowered the bucket to scrape it up. With the ice broken, Rubble was able to just keep driving. The bucket broke up the ice and pushed it to the side, clearing a path.

"That's it, Rubble!" Ryder cheered.

Rubble made it to the town hall in no time. He quickly cleared up the steps and a space large enough for Rocky and Ryder to park their vehicles.

Mayor Goodway was waiting anxiously at the top of the steps. As usual, she had Chickoletta in her purse. The chicken, wearing a tiny knit hat, seemed altogether unconcerned with the situation.

"Oh, Ryder, thank you for hurrying," the mayor said, hurrying down the steps.

"No problem, Mayor Goodway," Ryder said. "Rocky, let's go look at the broken pipes. Rubble, keep clearing the ice."

"Okay, Ryder," Rocky said, climbing to the ground. "I think I still have some leftover pipe in my truck from when I helped Farmer Yumi with her irrigation. Those should work!"

Rubble barked and continued to bulldoze up the thick ice. After about half an hour, Rubble had the streets cleared and the ice piled up in the park. He was proud of his work, but his nose and ears had turned numb by then.

"That's not going to work," Rubble said, cocking his head at the large pile.

Skye pulled up beside him. "Good job, Rubble! All the streets are clear and ready to go!"

"Okay, but what am I going to do with all this ice?" Rubble asked, pointing.

"You could put it in the bay," came Chase's voice from Rubble's collar.

Rubble jumped. He had forgotten that Chase was watching the mission.

"That might not wowk," Zuma put in. "If you put so much ice into the bay and it fweezes, there will be no way for boats to go out."

"I think it will be fine," Skye piped up. "After all, it's not like the bay has ever actually frozen."

"Where else could we put it?" Rubble asked.

Zuma didn't answer for a moment. Then, "Fine. Adventuwe Bay has nevew had a cold snap like last night, so we shouldn't two nights in a wow."

Ryder walked out of the town hall just then. "Hey, pups, how is it going?"

"I'm almost done," Rubble said. "I'm just going to dump the ice in the bay."

Ryder nodded. Seeing that Ryder agreed, Rubble pushed Zuma's worried works out of his mind.

"Come inside for a bit," Ryder said. "Rocky fixed the boiler as well, so it's nice and warm."

That sounded nice to Rubble, so he and Skye leaped to the ground to follow Ryder inside. As soon as the pups entered the town hall, a wave of warmth washed over them. Rocky was inside with the mayor, and a few townspeople.

"A lot of people are having issues with their boilers," Ryder explained. "Rocky and I were getting ready to head out and fix them."

"What about the pups at the Lookout?" Rocky asked as he walked over.

Ryder's eyes widened. "You're right. The Lookout was cooler than it should have been when we left. I should check on them first." He opened his Pup Pad, crouching so the others could see. "Hey, pups."

Zuma was seated in the middle of the observatory. As soon as his image appeared, he lifted a paw in a shushing gesture. He pointed behind him, where Wisp and Marshall were asleep on the floor. Chase was nowhere to be seen.

"Is everything okay there?" Ryder asked in a whisper.

"Yeah," Zuma said. "Wisp and Mawshall just fell asleep."

"Is it getting too cold in there?" Ryder asked. "The boiler might be having trouble in this cold. By the way, where is Chase?"

A mischievous gleam filled Zuma's eyes. "Don't wowwy, evewything is fine hewe."

"Zuma, what are you hiding?" Ryder asked.

"Nothing," Zuma said way too innocently. "Anyway, sounds like you'we busy, huh? Lookout, out!"

"Hey, don't-" Ryder stopped as the screen went black. "That was weird."

"Should we go check on them?" Rubble asked.

Ryder thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Zuma's watching over Wisp and Marshall, and I trust Chase to stay out of trouble. Let's finish up in town first."

After warming up for a bit longer, the Paw Patrol left town hall. Rocky and Ryder split up to start fixing boilers for families, while Rubble and Skye prepared to start moving the ice.

"Hey, how can I help with the ice?" Skye asked when they reached the vehicles. "Chase's truck doesn't have a bucket like yours."

Rubble blinked and looked around. "Oh, um…." His eyes lit up as they fell on a discarded sled in the park. "Oh! You can use that sled!"

Skye yipped. "Yeah! Chase's winch can pull it behind me!"

While Skye got the sled attached, Rubble climbed into his bulldozer and scooped up his first load of ice. He cheerfully drove out of town and to the beach, dumping the bucket's contents in the water. He was about to leave when he noticed something odd.

"Hey, Skye," Rubble said as the cockapoo pulled up beside him. "Does the water look… funny to you?"

Skye cocked her head. "No…"

Nevertheless, Rubble leaped to the ground and padded to the water. He patted the water with a paw, and felt a slight firmness in it.

"The water!" Rubble gasped, backing away. "It _is_ freezing over!"

Skye frowned at the bay, then gave a smile. "It's fine. Last night was really cold, so maybe some water on the shore froze. I'm sure it is nothing."

Rubble eyed the water. "Okay…"

"Besides, Ryder and Zuma said it would be fine," Skye said.

That settled it for Rubble. He shrugged and turned away from the water to help Skye dump her load.

* * *

Moving the ice took more than an hour. By the time Rubble and Skye were finished, Ryder and Rocky were done and waiting at the town hall.

"Well, everyone's boilers are fixed," Ryder said. He gazed down at his greasy hands and Rocky, whose fur was streaked with black. "I think we'll need a bath. Katie won't have hot water any time soon."

"Aw, too bad," Rocky said, grinning.

"Don't think you're getting out of a bath," Ryder teased. "We have hot water at the Lookout."

Rocky frantically started wiping at his fur, but only succeeded in smearing himself further. He looked down at his fur and groaned in defeat.

Rubble laughed. "You know, a nice warm bath sounds pretty good right now."

"Count me in!" Skye cheered.

"You can take my place," Rocky muttered as everyone got on their vehicles.

Everyone laughed, then raced off. It had been a tiring morning, and they were looking forward to resting in the Lookout, out of the wind that was starting to rise again.

The team arrived at the Lookout, and raced inside. They promptly froze in confusion. It was _warm._ Warmer than when they had left.

Zuma turned from the TV show he had been watching with Wisp and Marshall, grinning when he saw the shock on their faces. Wisp and Marshall turned, both acting more awake than before. Again, Chase was missing.

"I thought the boiler wouldn't last the morning," Rocky said, shaking his head.

"It didn't," Zuma spoke up. "It gave out ten minutes aftew you left."

"So how-" Ryder cut off as Chase walked into the room.

Chase's fur was spiky and ruffled, with black gunk smeared across his paws, chest, and head. He had a spare toolbag of Rocky's hung over his back. He froze when he spotted the others, one paw still in the air and an almost guilty expression on his face.

"Chase, what did you get into?" Ryder asked, crossing the room. He scooped up Chase, then realized the answer to his own question. "Did _you_ fix the boiler?"

A grin slid across Chase's muzzle. "Well, it got cold."

"You could have called," Ryder said.

"Nah… I just watched you and Rocky work," Chase said.

Ryder shook his head fondly. "Well, it looks like you did a good job. Now, I think that you, Rocky, and I could really use a bath."

"Uh, Ryder?" Rubble said. "Rocky already snuck off."

Ryder turned to the pups and raised an eyebrow. "Guess I can't say I'm surprised. Pups, new plan. Find Rocky!"

The pups laughed and yipped, darting off in different directions to search for their dirty friend.

* * *

 **A/N: Whenever I know what the next chapter of the Mini-Ventures will be, I will post a synopsis on my profile.**

 **The next chapter will be both rather humorous and angsty, then it will calm down for a bit.**


	3. Pups and the Frozen Flounder

**A/N: I am back! Sorry I took so long, but I had a lot of Voltron to get out of my system. I thought I could get my drama out elsewhere, but... nope. Oh, well. Things will get crazy by the end of the Saga, so consider this a slow build. The mission was rather bland and unexplained, but the Saga really focuses more on the pups instead of their missions.**

 **This chapter was originally going to be _Pups and the Exhausted Marshall_ , then I realized that this mission had to take place right after the ice rink chapter.**

 **Also, I can't alliterate. I apologize to all you Cap'n Turbot lovers.**

 **Suggestion by wrldqueek.**

* * *

 **Synopsis:** When the bay freezes over, the Paw Patrol has to free Cap'n Turbot's ship! At the same time, Ryder's gone missing, forcing Chase back into action and Marshall to take charge.

* * *

Cap'n Turbot stretched as he left his cabin. He immediately dropped his arms and wrapped them around himself as he was struck by the cold air.

"Wow! It's frigid, like a blizzard barreled by!"

He ran back into the cabin, and came out a moment later with a thick jacket. Nodding, he went to pull up anchor. He tugged at the winch, but it didn't move. He repositioned and tried again, to the same result.

Cap'n Turbot stepped back and scratched his head. "This is officially odd."

He walked to the edge of the boat and peered over the edge. The entire surface of the bay had been frozen solid.

"Oh. Well, it's erringly early, but I should pester the Paw Patrol about this problem!"

* * *

"Pups! Hey, pups, wake up!"

Zuma groaned at Chase's commanding bark and wretched an eye open.

All the pups but Chase were cuddled together in a mess of blankets and paws. The German Shepard was standing on a clear spot of the floor, expression confused.

"What is it?" Wisp grumbled, tucking her head further under a blanket.

"Did anyone see Ryder leave?" Chase asked.

Marshall yawned. "No. He probably just left to get breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Rubble yelped.

The youngest pup clambered out of the pile, accidentally knocking Rocky and Skye from the pile. Marshall moved away from the flailing paws, then got tangled and tumbled to the floor. He collided with Zuma and took the lab to the floor with him.

Wisp looked back and forth at the sprawled pups. "That's one way to get everyone up."

Zuma snorted and turned his head to the clock. "Chase, it's five in the mowning!"

"Exactly! Ryder would never leave so early without telling us," Chase said. "I've checked the entire Lookout!"

This got the pups' attention. They all quickly sorted themselves out and stood. Despite Chase having already searched, they agreed to spread out and check again.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the pups were back where they started.

"He's not upstairs," Skye said.

"And not in his room," Chase said.

"There's nowhere he could be hiding down here," Wisp said.

"H-he's n-not outs-side," Rocky said between shivers. He and Zuma had checked the frigid outside, and both pups were huddled back in the blanket pile.

"He didn't even take his Pup Pad," Chase said, nudging the device on the floor.

"Maybe he's in town?" Skye suggested, not sounding convinced of her own answer.

"I don't know why, but we can start calling people," Chase said, grabbing the Pup Pad.

Before he could start, the Pup Pad buzzed. Chase jumped a little, then glanced at the other pups.

"It can't bite you," Wisp said, grinning.

Chase rolled his eyes and pressed the answer button. Cap'n Turbot appeared on the screen.

"Ryder! Er, howdy hounds. Where is Ryder residing currently?"

"He's not here," Chase said. "What's wrong?"

"It's the Flounder! She's frozen solid in this frigid bay!"

"It's all the ice we dumped in there yesterday," Rubble whispered to Skye.

"I didn't think it would fweeze!" Zuma said, frowning.

"Don't worry, Cap'n Turbot. No job is too big, no pup is too small! We'll be right there to help!" Chase said. He slid the Pup Pad closed, then looked at the other pups. "Change in plans, pups. Some of us will have to go help Cap'n Turbot, while the others look for Ryder. Pups, to the Lookout!"

Chase took off for the elevator. The other pups glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed.

Marshall tripped over a loose blanket and tumbled ahead of the others to crash into Chase. The pair collapsed in a heap and the blanket drifted down on top of them. Skye bounded up and pulled the blanket off.

Chase chuckled. "I don't think we need to go undercover for this mission."

All the pups laughed as they filled the elevator. They were whisked to the top and leaped out in uniform. While Wisp was still without her uniform, Zuma was delighted to see that Chase was wearing his Spy gear. Marshall wore his EMT gear, and was frowning as Chase marched in front of the pups.

"Well, you all heard Cap'n Turbot and know about Ryder being missing. We'll need to split up in teams," Chase said. He began to pace.

"Marshall, you're in charge of the team going to help Cap'n Turbot. Your EMT gear might be needed with all that ice. There's always the danger of slipping or falling into the water."

"Zuma, you'll be with Marshall. You need to see how much of the bay is frozen. If you can, pull the Flounder out to where the water isn't frozen."

"Skye, Rubble, Rocky, and I will search town for Ryder," Chase continued. "Wisp, you stay here and call us if Ryder comes back."

"You're staying here as well," Marshall said.

Chase froze with one paw in the air. Skye and Rubble, who had been talking about who would search where, fell silent. Zuma didn't know why, but he suddenly felt tense.

Chase slowly turned to Marshall. "No, I'm not."

"There are enough pups to search town without you."

"Marshall," Chase said with a sigh. "It will be quick, I'm sure. He's probably just at Katie's. I would _like_ to stretch my legs a little."

When Wisp didn't add any sort of commentary about Chase not being the only one feeling cooped up, Zuma knew he wasn't the only one who felt like something was happening.

"Not happening. It's too cold for you," Marshall said.

"I'm fine. I promise."

"You can't-"

"Marshall!"

Zuma's eyes widened at the barely perceptible -but still there- growl in Chase's voice. Marshall flinched, then turned his head away.

"...fine."

"All right, you all have your missions. Paw Patrol is on a roll!"

There was a brief moment of awkward silence, then Marshall leaped to his paws and howled. The rest of the pups were quick to follow, then everyone but Wisp jumped down the slide and into their vehicles. The teams raced off in separate directions.

* * *

When Zuma and Marshall reached the bay, they found it even worse than they had thought. The ice was so thick that both vehicles were able to safely drive on the surface.

"I'll bring Cap'n Turbot to land," Marshall said, turning toward the Flounder stranded a hundred feet from shore. "You see how far the ice goes."

Zuma barked and drove on. The ice went on for several hundred more feet before becoming thin enough for Zuma's hovercraft to drop into the water.

"It goes on for a long time," Zuma said into his collar. "I'm going below to see how deep it is."

"Is that a good idea?" Marshall asked back. "It's so cold right now, you'll freeze!"

"Don't wowwy," Zuma said. "My wetsuit keeps me completely dwy and wawm."

Marshall sighed. "Okay. Just hurry, alright?"

"I'll be quick!"

Zuma barked, causing his helmet to close completely over his head. He dove into the water and paddled toward land.

The ice wasn't too deep at first, but by the time he guessed to be under the Flounder, the ice had become lumpy and steadily thicker. Chunks kept shifting around, and Zuma had to dodge several as he swam.

"Bad news," Zuma reported back. "The ice is too thick to bweak wight hewe. I don't think we can get the Flounder out."

"We'll have to wait for the weather to warm up, then," Marshall decided. "We can't risk trying to break the ice right now."

"If we wait any longew, the ice will put too much stwain on the Flounder. She'll bweak!"

"How likely is that to happen? It's getting warmer already."

"I'll have to check the Flounder." Zuma paused, having encountered a wall of ice that he believed to be just below the shoreline. "But the ice is alweady so thick, it will take fowevew to thaw."

Zuma turned, then found himself facing ice again. He blinked and turned around, only to find that he was surrounded.

"Uh, oh."

"'Uh, oh,' what?" Marshall asked.

"Um… the ice may be melting fastew than I thought," Zuma said.

"That's good, though, right?"

Zuma pressed against the ice that he thought led to deeper water, but it didn't move. He kicked off, and the ice across from him was able to be pushed for a few feet before Zuma found solid ice again.

"Not when it is melting awound me and hiding the woute to my hovewboat."

"What?!" Marshall exclaimed.

"It's fine. It will just take a bit longew to get out." Zuma's head clunked against ice, and he reached up to rub at his helmet. "Maybe a lot longew."

"Where are you now?" Marshall asked.

"Not faw fwom shore, I don't think," Zuma said. He started tapping the ice around him, having found himself in a small space surrounded by ice.

"Okay, stay where you are," Marshall said. "Rubble, where are you now?"

"Heading back to the Lookout," Rubble said.

"Did you find Ryder?"

"No. We looked around town, then Chase stayed at Katie's and sent us back. No sign of Ryder, but Chase and Katie weren't worried," Skye said.

Marshall sighed, then said. "When you get back, I need Rubble and Skye to meet me at the beach. Bring Ryder's Pup Pad."

Zuma paused and cocked his head. "Why do you need them?"

"We're going to dig you out of there."

"Uh, Mawshall, did you slip and hit youw head? You can't dig thwough ice with a bulldozew!"

"But we can drill ice!" Rubble said happily.

"Exactly," Marshall said. "I will be using Rubble's bulldozer to break up the ice enough for you to get out."

"I can do it," Rubble said.

"I know. But it will be a bit dangerous. I don't want you to fall in."

"Oh. Okay!" Rubble squeaked.

"What if Wubble's bulldozew falls in?" Zuma challenged.

"I will be staying on land, but Skye will back me up if he needs to bail fast."

"If you pups break Rubble's dozer, Ryder will be mad!" Rocky warned.

"So let's not break it," Marshall said calmly.

* * *

"Zuma."

Zuma, floating quietly and listening to the rumble above, started at Chase's voice from the collar.

"Yeah, Chase?"

"What is Marshall doing?"

"Didn't you heaw?" Zuma asked.

"I wasn't listening. The others can't hear us right now, either. How's the mission going?"

Confused at Chase's secrecy, Zuma replied, "I got kind of stuck undew the ice. Mawshall is using Wubble's bulldozew to dig me out."

"Rubble isn't?" Chase clarified.

"No. Mawshall said it was wisky."

"It's _very_ risky!" Chase said, then proceeded to grumble under his breath.

"Hey… Chase?" Zuma hesitated, then asked, "What's going on with you and Mawshall?"

"What do you mean?"

"You both have been acting weiwd. Mawshall's always wowwying and you _gwowled_ at him earlier!"

Chase didn't respond for so long, that Zuma was afraid he had signed off. Eventually, though, there was a sigh.

"I didn't mean to growl at him. I don't know what is up with him, either. We've never fought like this before, but ever since…"

"What? Evew since what?"

"Nothing," Chase said quickly. "Listen, I think I know where Ryder went. When we all get back to the Lookout, you need to help me make sure everyone accepts whatever excuse he gives us, okay?"

"What? Chase, what is up with you? You'we keeping secwets, and now you awe saying that Wyder's going to lie to us?"

"I think that Ryder went to search for Geo."

"Why? He thinks that Geo died."

"After what happened in Marshlands Forest, I think that Ryder may have changed his mind. He just won't tell us, because he doesn't want us to get our hopes up."

"That doesn't sound like Wyder," Zuma said.

"We'll just have to take it as it comes," Chase said. His voice lightened as he added, "I'm just glad to be out of the Lookout. Stall as much as you can so I can enjoy it, okay?"

Zuma chuckled a bit. "Have a good time. Once I'm out, I'll see what we can do about the Floudew."

"Chase, out!"

Moments after Chase signed off, Rubble's drill broke through the ice. Zuma yelped in surprise, and the drill quickly lifted away. Zuma swam through the new gap and pulled himself up onto the ice.

Marshall was perched on the back of Rubble's dozer. He had Ryder's Pup Pad on the steering wheel to track Zuma's position.

"Get back to land!" Zuma yelped when he realized the dozer was twenty feet from the shore.

"Are you okay?" Marshall asked in response.

Zuma rolled his eyes. "Yes!"

A grinding crack made both pups freeze. Zuma's eyes went down to the ice under his paws. Cracks had formed around the hole, and had begun to spread.

"Go, go!" Zuma yelped.

Marshall didn't have to be told twice. He spun around and pressed his paw to the pedal, roaring away as the ice split where the dozer had just been. Zuma darted off to the side to avoid the cracks, watching fearfully as Marshall raced the growing cracks for the shore.

When Marshall reached land inches ahead of the breaking ice, Zuma breathed a sigh of relief. His lighter weight meant the cracks didn't follow him, so he made it safely back to land.

"That was way too close," Skye said, having landed her copter nearby once Marshall was safe.

Marshall chuckled awkwardly. "Well, now Zuma's out and Rubble's bulldozer is still on dry land."

"And _you_ awen't a pup-sicle," Zuma added.

"And the Flounder's free!" Rubble exclaimed.

The older pups blinked at each other, then turned toward the bay. The cracks that Marshall had accidentally caused had spread across the bay. The ice was rapidly breaking up, freeing the Flounder in the process.

Zuma grinned at the unexpected surprise. "Cap'n Tuwbot will be happy about that."

Marshall chuckled. "Good job, pups. Let's get back to the Lookout."

* * *

When Zuma, Marshall, Rubble, and Rocky arrived at the Lookout, only Wisp and Rocky were waiting. If Marshall was concerned, though, he didn't show it that time.

Chase arrived an hour later, freshly groomed and cheerful from his visit with Katie. Ryder returned a bit later, saying that he had just gone for a walk and hadn't wanted to disturb the pups.

When Ryder heard about the mission, he praised Marshall -who became so embarrassed that tripped and face-planted his food bowl- for taking charge. He scolded him lightly for the risk of going out on the ice, but still acted proud.

Ryder acted surprised that Chase had left the Lookout for so long, but happy. Chase, for his part, didn't ask any questions but accepted Ryder's explanation for being gone.

Through it all, Zuma couldn't help but notice that something still felt off. He couldn't put his paw on it, aside from Marshall's new slightly worried look as Ryder cleared Chase once again for missions and Chase's smile that seemed forced.

Ever since Chase and Wisp fell sick, something had changed with the Paw Patrol. And Zuma didn't like it one bit.


	4. Pups and the Exhausted Marshall Pt 1

**A/N: Winters in Adventure Bay are incredibly short. Don't question it.**

 **This chapter ended up long, so this is the primarily fluffy first part. The second part is more drama.**

 **Synopsis: When the team realizes how much Marshall has been pushing himself, they set out to help him relax. What starts as a fun and simple mission quickly becomes complicated when they learn what Marshall has been hiding.**

* * *

"Good work, pups," Ryder said as he, Chase, Marshall, and Rocky entered the Lookout.

Chase beamed, partially because of the praise, but mostly because he was still so happy for the last two weeks of being allowed on missions.

That day's mission had been a simple one, with Chickoletta having slipped through a hole in the fence around the junkyard. The mission had required Chase's spy drone to find the missing chicken and Rocky to fix the hole. Marshall had later been called in when Chickoletta was found wedged in the middle of a junk pile.

The other pups went over to hear about the mission. Chase stepped back while Rocky told them, watching Marshall.

The dalmation had been tired again that morning. Ryder almost hadn't called him in, but Marshall was the only one who could reach Chickoletta. As usual, Chickoletta had jumped on his face and caused him to slide to the ground. It had taken Marshall a bit longer than normal to get to his paws and call all good.

Marshall acted normal with the others, though, so Chase told himself to not worry. He just needed a way to get Marshall to at least rest for the rest of the day…

Chase spotted Wisp nagging Rocky for more details. He shook his head fondly at her, then noticed Marshall hovering near her as the restless border collie paced the room.

That gave him an idea. Chase caught Zuma's eye, and waved him over. Zuma trotted over, and Chase had to ignore his expression. For the last two weeks, Zuma had been jumpy and stiff around him and Ryder.

"I need your help," Chase said once Zuma was close.

"With what?"

"Marshall needs to rest, but he's never going to rest as long as Wisp is being so active," Chase explained.

Zuma blinked slowly. "She's bowed. Good luck getting hew to stay still."

Chase was startled by Zuma's cold tone. "Zuma, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Zuma."

Zuma glanced around, then lowered his voice. "Wisp has wecovewed a lot since the cold snap. She wants to do something helpful."

"She can help by getting Marshall to rest." Chase raised a paw, though Zuma didn't voice any protests. "Once Marshall is back to his old self, he'll have to see that Wisp has recovered."

"Do you have any plans on getting Wisp to listen?" Zuma asked, sounding closer to himself.

"Yes. You grab some drawing supplies, and I need to get something from my cruiser."

* * *

"Hey, Wisp."

Wisp turned away from Rocky, who took that opportunity to run off. Chase waved Wisp over to where he and Zuma were laying on bean bags. There was paper and pencils scattered in front of them, and Chase had borrowed Ryder's Pup Pad.

Wisp trotted over. "Yes?"

Chase gestured for Wisp to sit down while he explained. "Ryder and I were having a hard time reaching Chickoletta in the junkyard, because it's like a maze in there. I thought that maybe if we had a map, it would be easier if we had to go in there again."

"That would work," Wisp said. "Is that what you are doing?"

"Twying," Zuma said, looking up from his messy scrawls.

"Zuma mentioned that you like to draw maps," Chase said. "If you watched the recording from my drone, would you be able to draw us a map of the junkyard?"

Wisp perked up. "I could sure try!"

Wisp plopped down beside Zuma and grabbed some drawing supplies. Chase gave her the Pup Pad. Wisp got right to work, sketching outlines quicker than anything Chase had ever seen.

Within ten minutes, Wisp had a basic map of the junkyard drawn. By the time she started adding details, the other pups had gathered and started drawing as well.

"Look at mine!" Skye said with a giggle half an hour later, holding up her picture of bunnies.

Rubble looked up from his attempts at drawing Apollo. "Aw!"

Chase smiled at Skye, hiding his artwork of the other pups with his paws. He peered at the other pups' work.

Wisp had the map completed and set aside. She had started on a new map that Chase was starting to suspect to be the Adventure Bay sewers.

Zuma was scowling in concentration as he tried to perfect an underwater scene. He didn't seem to notice that his tongue was poking out of the side of his mouth.

Rocky and Ryder were working together in sketching out an invention of theirs. They murmured to each other, oblivious to the others.

Half-finished doodles covered the top half Marshall's page as he repeatedly forgot what he had been drawing. The bottom part of the page was slowly being taken over by a puddle of drool.

"Mission success," Chase murmured.

Chase didn't intend for anyone else to hear him, but Skye lifted her head.

"What mission?"

"Oh, er…" Chase's mind scrambled.

"Getting Mawshall to sleep," Zuma said. He lifted his head and noticed Chase's frown. "Um… was no one else supposed to know?"

"Not really…" Chase said with a sigh.

"Chase, everyone knows that Marshall hasn't been sleeping," Rubble said without looking up.

"Everybody?"

"Why do you think Katie keeps trying to invite him over? Or that Mr. Porter insists he go and try out his new desserts. Even the people in town are trying to get him to relax," Wisp said. She held up her paper, nodded, and set it aside. "You're just the first one to actually succeed."

"Oh. So, you knew what I was doing all along?" Chase asked sheepishly.

Wisp wiggled her ears. "I have good hearing."

"Either way, it worked," Ryder said.

Ryder handed the paper to Rocky, the only one too engaged in drawing to join the conversation, and stood. He picked up the snoozing dalmation and carried him outside to his puphouse.

"We should do this more often," Skye said, standing to clear the drawing supplies.

"Dwaw?" Zuma asked.

"Well, sure. But I was talking about Marshall. If we all worked together, it wouldn't be that hard to help him relax every once and a while," Skye said.

"It isn't going to be easy," Chase said. "Marshall has been really persistent on going on missions and not sleeping unless Wisp is."

"I'll find ways for you other pups to take care of the jobs that might need Marshall," Ryder said, walking inside.

"And while he is here, we'll have to figure out how to get him to relax," Chase mused.

Chase's gaze turned toward Wisp. After a minute, the rest of the team did the same until everyone was staring at Wisp.

Wisp scowled. "I know, I know, don't be so restless. But you can't just expect me to sleep all day!"

"Only for a little bit," Ryder coaxed. "Once Marshall feels better, it will be easier to convince him that you are getting better."

"'Getting?'" Wisp scoffed. "I'm as good as I'll ever get."

Wisp thumped a paw to her chest to prove her point, though the effect was lost when she made herself cough once.

"Please?" Zuma pleaded, pressing himself to her side.

"Aw, fine, I'll try. Just stop giving me those puppy-dog eyes," Wisp said, good-naturedly shoving Zuma away.

"Alright," Ryder said. "Mission Give Marshall a Break is a go! Paw Patrol is on a roll!"

* * *

The first week was rather easy. The pups took special care to not get themselves or anyone else hurt on the missions. It wasn't easy, but they even found ways around using Marshall's ladder.

When Cali got stuck in the bell tower, Rocky and Katie teamed up to make a soft landing pad that Katie convinced Cali to jump onto.

When Little Hooty got trapped in some tangled branches in a tree, Chase insisted on being the one to rescue his little friend. Skye lifted him up with her harness, and Chase navigated the branches to free the owl.

Rubble toughed out a sprained paw when he slipped on some ice while clearing pavement that had split in the cold weather. Of course, once Marshall found out the next day, Wisp was no longer the only pup restricted to the Lookout.

The team was then down two pups, with Marshall showing no signs of changing. Still, the pups continued on with their plan.

* * *

"Cha-ase!" Wisp drew out the name. She slumped dramatically to the floor in front of Chase. "I don't think I can do this any longer."

"What?" Chase asked, knowing perfectly well what she was talking about, but complaining seemed to help her calm down.

"Letting Marshall baby me! He took my temperature ten times today, and he kept sending me to bed with all the blankets, so I got really hot. And then he thought I had a fever, and made me put an ice pack on my forehead. So, _then_ I started shivering, and now he thinks I caught something." Wisp coughed. "I think I did, actually, from the ice pack!"

"Come on, Wisp. We all know that taking care of his teammates is relaxing to Marshall. He needs this."

"Chase." Wisp sat up, suddenly becoming serious. "All this trouble hasn't been helping Marshall. He's getting worse."

"What? Worse? But he is always so cheerful," Chase said.

"When you all get back. But when you're gone, he paces non-stop and talks to himself. When you had to call him out to Farmer Yumi's to help with the cold animals, that is the happiest I have seen him."

Chase rubbed a paw down his face. "Well, I don't know what else to do. When he was helping, he wasn't resting. Now that he's resting, he's worrying."

"Chase…" Wisp said slowly. "I think that there is more going on with Marshall than you think."

"Like what?"

Wisp opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head. "I'm probably just being paranoid. If it is what I thought, Marshall will tell us."

"Tell us-" Chase broke off as Wisp padded away. "Tell us what?!"

* * *

Soon, the pups fell back to the old routine. Rubble was allowed back on missions as long as Ryder let Marshall go on missions that he was needed -as it turned out, Marshall had realized what the team had been trying to do. Wisp was still confined to the Lookout, much to her frustration.

However, to everyone's relief, Marshall seemed to go back to his old self.

He slipped across Mr. Porter's entire parking lot and into a snowbank while the pups were cleaning up a mess of his spilled vegetables. He was out in a second, making jokes about having a snowcone on his head.

When Rocky dropped a pile of wood on his paw after Chickoletta hopped onto his head, Marshall just recommended him to put ice on it, and didn't insist on him staying at the Lookout.

By the end of that week, Chase dared hope that Marshall had gotten over whatever had him so upset. Maybe soon, Wisp would be let back on missions. After all, she hadn't had a coughing fit once that week and she had started running small races without any problems.

Of course, before Chase could come up with a way to hint that Wisp was ready, Wisp took matters into her own paws.

* * *

"Cali is _where?_ "

Chase lifted his head from his paws at Ryder's exclamation. Wisp, laying beside him, perked up her ears. Zuma and Rocky were playing tug-of-war nearby in the warm sun, but they paused as well. Ryder was standing across from Chase, staring at his Pup Pad as Katie spoke.

"She slipped on the cliffs! She's okay on a ledge for now, but I have no way to reach her!"

"Don't worry, Katie! No job is too big, no pup is too small!"

Ryder opened his Pup Pad. Wisp suddenly leaped to her paws and darted over to Ryder. She leaped up onto his leg, yelping to catch his attention.

"Ryder, Ryder! Don't call all the pups, please?"

Ryder looked down at her. "Why not?"

"I'm ready to help." Wisp put all four paws on the ground and frowned seriously. "Marshall's sleeping inside. If he hears that I want to go, he won't let me. Can't we go without making a fuss, and we can be back before he realizes. Please?"

Ryder sighed and knelt. "Wisp, I know you're tired of staying here, but you can't go on missions until Marshall clears you."

Wisp narrowed her eyes. "Marshall will never clear me for missions."

"Don't be silly," Chase said, walking up to them. "Of course he will."

"Who are you going to take, then?" Wisp asked, apparently deciding that arguing wasn't worth it. "Callie's stuck on a cliffside over water."

"Well, Zuma will be below," Ryder said. "Chase will use his winch and lower himself down to her and get her."

"With only a winch, Chase could slip out and fall. Or Callie could. And if she hits the water, who knows how badly she could get hurt. Come on, Ryder, you've seen me! I'm healthy!"

Ryder stared at Wisp, then gave a short nod. "Fine."

"If you just-" Wisp blinked. "What?"

"Get your gear. There's no sense in Chase being in danger, when you have the gear and are capable of helping." Ryder sighed. "Just do it quietly. I don't want Marshall to know yet."

Wisp grinned and took off, calling over her shoulder, "Thanks, Ryder!"

Ryder and Zuma ran to get their vehicles, leaving Chase and Rocky. The two pups glanced at each other.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Rocky said.

"Me, too," Chase said with a sigh. "Just cover us if Marshall wakes up, okay?"

Rocky nodded and the pups separated.

* * *

Chase tagged along with the rescue team to make sure everything went smoothly. Ryder and the pups soon reached the cliffside where Katie waited.

"Zuma, get on the water just in case," Ryder said. "Wisp, are you ready?"

"I've been ready!" Wisp yelped happily.

Wisp soon grew serious, though, as she backed her vehicle to the cliff's edge. She hopped out and pulled a spare harness from her gear. She clipped the harness to her own.

"Arf! Winch!" When the winch hook popped out of her Pup Pack, Wisp attached it to a pole across the back of her vehicle. "Arf! Rappel!"

At the second command, the winch slowly began to let out cable. Wisp scrambled over the edge of the cliff and climbed steadily down. Chase, Ryder, Zuma, and Katie watched anxiously, but Wisp reached the ledge without any problems.

"Arf! Stop!" Wisp pulled off the spare harness and smiled at Callie. "Okay, kitty, let's get you back up to Katie."

Callie willingly stepped into the harness, and Wisp clipped the small cat to her back. Once she made sure Callie was secure, Wisp looked up.

"Arf! Climbing!"

The climb went as smoothly as the descent, and Wisp was soon pulling herself onto solid ground. Katie happily grabbed Callie, and Chase howled happily.

"Good job, Wisp!" Ryder praised, patting her. "How do you feel? Not too tired?"

"A little," Wisp admitted. "But in a good way."

"Yay, Wisp!" Zuma cried from below. "I knew you could do it!"

"Let's just get back to the Lookout before Marshall realizes I'm gone," Wisp said with a grin.

"You know, we don't have to hide this from Marshall," Ryder said.

His statement made Chase pause. He didn't want to lie to one of his oldest friends, but he also didn't want to tell Marshall until he learned what had been bothering him.

Wisp was nodding eagerly, though, so Chase nodded as well. Wisp had obviously nearly recovered, Marshall couldn't keep her away from missions.

* * *

The team returned to the Lookout. No one was outside at first, but as they parked, Rocky rushed out.

"Pups!" Rocky yelped. "Marshall figured it out!"

The team froze, even though they had been ready to tell Marshall. They slowly got off their vehicles and glanced at each other. Rocky raced over to Ryder and hid behind him.

Chase was about to ask what was the matter, when the Lookout doors opened again and Marshall walked out.

Marshall's expression was way too blank for the cheerful pup. He barely glanced at Wisp, instead focusing his unnervingly passive gaze on Chase as he walked up to the German Shepherd.

"So…," Marshall said slowly, voice low. "How did the mission go?"


	5. Pups and the Exhausted Marshall Pt 2

**A/N: I know, I know. I didn't mean to leave you hanging, honest. I thought I would have this chapter done by the following week. It was mostly done, actually, but this chapter has dialogue that I have a really hard time writing. It mostly sat in my docs while I tried to fix it. I'm still not totally happy with how it turned out, but at this point, trying to fix anything will make it worse.**

 **And, yes, Ryder's authority takes a backseat in my stories...**

* * *

"Great," Chase said, wondering why he felt so tense. "We needed Wisp, and she was able to do just fine."

"I didn't clear her for missions yet," Marshall said without changing tone.

"No, but she was the pup for the job. Besides, she is fully recovered!"

Marshall's expression darkened slightly. "She wasn't ready."

Chase sighed. "How much more ready do you want her to be? Look at her!"

Marshall's gaze stayed on Chase. "I know what I am talking about."

"Marshall," Chase said with a groan, moving to walk around Marshall. "When did you become such a worry-pup?"

"I am not a worry-pup!"

"Then stop worrying so much," Chase said, shaking his head.

Marshall suddenly darted in front of Chase, cutting him off. He glared at Chase, who felt a growl rumbling in his throat.

"Wisp can't go on any more missions," Marshall said.

"And why not?!" Chase snapped.

Marshall clenched his jaw, but didn't respond. Chase snorted in disbelief that Marshall couldn't even give them a reason to keep Wisp off missions.

"Wisp is allowed back on missions," Chase said firmly. He turned to walk away. "This discussion is over."

"You can't!" Marshall yelled.

Chase spun to face him. "Why? Give me one good reason that she can't!"

"She just can't!"

"You can't expect me to just take that!"

"You used to take my word, no explanation needed!"

"That's because I used to know that you had a reason!" Chase stepped right up to Marshall. "And there. Is. No. Reason. Now."

Marshall growled, startling Chase. "You're just too stubborn to see it. It's been right in front of your muzzle all this time!"

"Oh, really? Because all I see is a healthy Wisp and worry-pup Marshall."

Chase turned away, determined to end the conversation before he gave into the frustration welling up inside him. Before he made it two steps, though, Marshall crashed into him from behind. Chase yelped, then tumbled onto his back. Marshall planted his paws on either side of Chase and glared down at him.

"Wisp is done with missions," Marshall said.

Chase snapped. He quickly drew up his hind paws and kicked Marshall away. Marshall hit the ground on his side, but rolled back onto his paws at the same time as Chase. The dalmation turned and launched himself at Chase, who dodged to the side. Marshall crashed to the ground, and Chase jumped on top of him.

"What are you doing?!" Chase demanded

Marshall rolled over, knocking Chase to the ground. He scrambled to his feet with a snarl.

"Trying to keep you from making a big mistake!"

"Mistake? What mistake?!" Chase growled. In his anger, he started spouting words. "You're the mistake! Can't take two steps without tripping over your own paws! Why did I even bring you home that day?"

"I wish you hadn't!" Marshall spat, stalking closer. "Then I wouldn't have to try and get the truth through your thick skull!"

"Pups!"

The commanding yell was accompanied by someone harshly grabbing Chase's scruff. Chase yelped and struggled, then stilled when he realized that it was Ryder and that Marshall was in the same position.

"I don't know what's happened between the two of you, but you need to stop it!" Ryder ordered. "You two are brothers!"

Chase stubbornly crossed his paws. "He's no brother of mine."

Marshall's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say a word.

"Chase, you should be ashamed of yourself," Ryder said sternly. "You are the head pup of this team; set an example for the others!"

It was really hard for Chase to maintain his anger when he was being scruffed and having Ryder's disappointed stare boring into him.

"I just don't see why he has to make such a big deal about it," Chase muttered.

"Chase, you're the one making a big deal about it," Ryder said, sounding more exasperated that Chase had ever heard him. "Just hear Marshall out."

Chase raised his eyebrows at Marshall, who turned his head away. Chase then glanced at Ryder and raised his paws in a "see?" gesture. Ryder sighed and put down the pups, probably tired from holding them.

Chase shook his fur back into place, but Marshall didn't move. The dalmation was staring at his paws, his furious expression shifting to something else.

"I want the two of you to apologize and talk it out," Ryder said. Neither pup spoke. "Chase, you start."

"What?!" Chase yelped. "But he started it!"

"Chase…" Ryder said warningly.

"Fine." Chase faced Marshall and forced out, "I'm sorry about what I said. And for not listening."

"Was that so hard?" Ryder asked with a teasing grin.

Chase huffed, but his anger and frustration were rapidly leaving him. It turned quickly to concern when Marshall didn't respond to Ryder's prompting.

"Marshall?" Chase took a tentative step closer. "I'm sorry, for real now. I didn't mean it."

Marshall's mouth twitched and he whispered hoarsely, "I'm sorry, too."

Marshall sounded so upset that the last shreds of anger vanished from Chase. "Marshall, what's wrong? I promise I didn't mean it. I just started talking and wanted to hurt you. I'm really sorry!"

Ryder knelt when Marshall still didn't respond. "Marshall? Are you okay?"

Chase gasped. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Oh, Marshall, I'm so sorry for kicking you."

"It isn't your fault!" Marshall barked out, making Chase and Ryder shift away. "It's mine!"

"It was both of our faults," Chase said soothingly.

"If I'd just said something sooner, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Marshall said.

Chase blinked. "Said something about what? Does it have to do with why you've been acting so weird for the last few weeks?"

Marshall nodded silently.

"You can still tell me," Chase said, creeping closer to Marshall. "I'm listening."

"I was scared," Marshall whispered.

"Okay, of what?" Chase prompted.

"Of my teammates getting hurt. When you got sick, I-I was so scared!" Marshall whined.

"And that's why you kept me at the Lookout? To keep me from getting hurt?"

"Yeah…"

Chase nudged Marshall with a grin. "Silly Marshall, you know I can take care of myself. So can all of us. You don't have to push yourself to keep us all safe."

Marshall scuffed the ground with his paw. "I know."

"Besides, by pushing yourself so much, you've been doing the exact same thing that you have been trying to keep us from doing," Chase said, taking on a more stern tone.

"I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt," Marshall mumbled.

"And we don't want to see you make yourself get sick," Ryder said, standing. "Everyone is inside. Come on in when you're ready, okay?"

Chase looked around, just realizing that the other pups were gone. He nodded and Ryder started to walk away.

"Ryder?" Marshall suddenly said. "Can you send Wisp out, please?"

Ryder nodded with a smile. Chase grinned at Marshall, wondering if that meant that he was going to allow Wisp on missions again.

Except that Marshall's expression was grim.

Wisp bounded out a minute later. As she sat down beside Chase and Marshall, Chase noticed that she was breathing just fine. She smiled expectantly Marshall, who just stared back at her.

"Chase, could we have a moment?" Marshall asked.

"Sure. I'll see you inside."

Chase trotted inside, and was immediately surrounded by the others.

"Are you and Marshall okay?" Skye asked, sniffing Chase over.

"It was really scary when you two started fighting," Rubble whimpered.

Chase nudged Skye away and patted Rubble's head. "Yeah, we're both fine. Sometimes brothers fight, is all."

"But did you figure out why Marshall has been acting so strange?" Rocky asked.

"Marshall is just scared that one of us will get hurt," Chase explained. "He's trying to keep us safe."

"By running himself to the ground?" Skye shook her head. "Silly Marshall."

Chase chuckled. "That's what I told him. I think it was just scary for him, when Wisp and I got so sick. But I think he is coming around."

"Uh, Chase?" Zuma said, lifting a paw to point. "I think you need to wethink that."

The pups spun to see what Zuma was pointing at, which turned out to be outside. They could still see Marshall and Wisp, and it was clear that something was wrong.

Marshall had his head and ears pulled back, and he was scowling. Wisp was standing with her muzzle inches from Marshall's and she was shouting at him.

Ryder and the pups rushed outside, just as Marshall shoved himself forward and yelled.

"I'm not going to lose another friend!"

Everyone ground to a halt. That _did not_ sound like Marshall telling Wisp she could go on missions again.

Wisp gave a combination of a howl and whine, and darted away. Zuma ran after her and Chase ran to Marshall, while the others stood awkwardly in the middle.

"Marshall, what happened?" Chase asked. "I thought we agreed that Wisp could go on missions!"

Marshall gave Chase a tired look. "We agreed that I have been worrying too much over the team. For Wisp, it is for real."

"Okay, fine. I'll talk to her," Chase said. "How long before she can go on missions again?"

"I meant what I said," Marshall said. "Wisp is done with missions. Forever."

Marshall started to walk away, but Chase cut him off.

"I thought we had this taken care of. Maybe Wisp isn't fully recovered quite yet and, yeah, she did go on a mission without your permission, but she is getting so much better! And, ultimately, it was Ryder and I who let her go. Don't punish Wisp!"

"I'm not punishing anyone!" Marshall yelped. He scowled, but Chase noticed his eyes were watery. "I would love nothing more than to clear Wisp for missions."

"Then why don't you?" Chase asked, frustrated and confused.

Marshall turned his head toward Wisp's puphouse, where she and Zuma had disappeared to. After a moment, Marshall turned back to Chase.

"The pneumonia permanently damaged her lungs. Any extreme stress or air contaminated with dust or smoke could worsen her condition." Marshall blinked, and a tear slipped down his face. "One wrong move on a mission, and Wisp could die."

Chase's legs shook, forcing him to sit before he fell. "D-die? But she's recovered…"

Marshall shook his head. "Her lungs are too bad anymore. It isn't worth it."

"I still want to help."

Chase turned to see that Wisp and Zuma had returned. Wisp was shaking and frowning, but her eyes were determined. Zuma stood behind her, expression showing that he was on her side.

"But, your lungs," Marshall said. "I don't think they will ever become good enough."

"Marshall," Wisp said with a shaky smile. "I can't spend the rest of my life in bed, afraid of dust. I want to be out there, helping you pups. I can be careful and safe."

"I can't risk-"

"If I have to stay at the Lookout for any longer, I'll go crazy and do something stupid," Wisp said bluntly. "At least if I'm on a mission, you and the others can be there to watch out for me. If we know when the air is bad for my lungs, I can guide one of you pups through the mission."

"And we can make her helmet better," Rocky spoke up, stepping closer. "We can improve it to be like our Sea Patrol helmets, that way nothing bad can reach her!"

"We all watch out for each other already," Skye piped up.

Zuma lifted his chin. "I won't let anything huwt Wisp."

"Please?" Wisp pleaded with Marshall. "It's not your risk to take, it's mine. I _want_ to help."

Marshall frowned as the other pups gathered around Wisp. He sighed and turned his head toward Chase.

"It's your decision," Chase said, since he knew the cause of Marshall's original decision. "Whatever you decide, I'll be with you."

Marshall sighed and lowered his head. Chase held his breath, and noticed Wisp leaning into Zuma. Ryder and the other pups glanced at each other.

"Okay," Marshall finally whispered.

Wisp's ears pricked forward. "Really?"

"We're going to have to be careful, but…" Marshall took a deep breath. "But I trust you to take care of yourself and let someone else take over if you start to feel bad, okay?"

Wisp nodded. "I will, I promise. Don't worry, Marshall, everything will be just fine. You'll see."

To Chase's vast relief, Marshall smiled. The worry left his eyes as he nodded back.

"I know it will."

* * *

 **A/N: Since this chapter is intended to sooth Marshall and put him back to his old self, please let me know if you noticed any loose ends!**


	6. Pups Save a Trapped Train

**A/N: I feel like I made Rocky and Rubble randomly smarter in this one? And Wisp ended up playing a big part in this one, but I've been looking for a way to introduce this with her.**

 **Idea by: SharpDragonKlaw**

 **I don't take notes so well, so I'm sorry if I missed the complete idea you gave me.**

 **Synopsis: When a landslide traps a train, it's up to the Paw Patrol to free it! But with an unsteady hillside, it may turn out to be harder than they expect.**

* * *

On the outskirts of Adventure Bay, a train was puffing its way toward town. The conductor hummed a cheerful tune, always in a good mood when he was headed for the peaceful town.

Out of nowhere, there was a rumble. The train gave an unusual shudder, making the conductor frown and cut off his humming. The shaking stopped, but the sound remained.

The conductor glanced ahead at the mountain that ran alongside the tracks. His eyes widened when he saw a rockslide ahead! Quickly, the conductor pulled on the brakes. The train screeched to a halt, inches from the pile of stone.

"Phew," the conductor said, leaning back in his seat. "Those rocks just came out of nowhere!" He stood and leaned out the window. "Well, those rocks aren't going to move themselves. At least I'm close to Adventure Bay. Looks like I'll get to see the Paw Patrol in action!"

* * *

Rocky stood poised on the top of his puphouse. He squinted toward the north, fidgeting.

"Hey, Wocky, dude," Zuma said, trotting up with Wisp. "What awe you looking fow?"

"The train," Rocky said. "It was supposed to be here hours ago!"

"Aren't trains typically late?" Wisp asked.

"That is ridiculous," Rocky said, glancing at her. "He's always been on time."

Zuma shrugged. "Maybe he just got held up?"

Wisp's eyes widened. "Do you think so? That's awful, we should tell someone!"

Rocky turned to raise an eyebrow at Wisp, and saw Zuma doing the same. Wisp was standing rigidly at attention and her hackles were even raised!

"Woah, calm down," Zuma said after a moment.

Wisp blinked and her fur flattened. "Um… never mind."

"Maybe we should have Skye check and see if he is nearby," Rocky said, deciding to ignore Wisp's panic.

"Okay!" Zuma agreed.

The three pups ran into the Lookout. Ryder was helping Rubble pull out all his beach toys since the weather had started to warm. Marshall was watching Chase and Skye play Pup Pup Boogie, probably having lost the game some time before.

"Ryder!" Rocky ran up to the boy. "The train is late!"

"Really? That's weird," Ryder said, setting down a plastic bucket.

"I know. I'm starting to worry," Rocky said.

"Hm. Skye?" Ryder turned toward the playing pups.

Skye flipped her way out of the game. "Yes, Ryder?"

"The train is a bit late. Could you fly up and see if you can see it?" Ryder asked.

"Sure can, Ryder!" Skye yipped.

The cockapoo darted from the Lookout. She transformed her puphouse with a yip, and leaped inside. As she flew off, Ryder pulled out his Pup Pad to stay in contact.

"No train yet, Ryder," Skye reported over the Pup Pad. "Oh, wait, I think I see something!"

"What? What!" Rocky yelped.

Impatient, Rocky started jumping up and down to see Ryder's Pup Pad. The boy gave him a startled look, then crouched so Rocky could see from Skye's perspective.

Rocky gasped when he saw the mountainside had collapsed. Stone covered the tracks, but the train at least didn't appear to be damaged.

Ryder stood. "Skye, check to make sure that the conductor and any passengers are okay. The rest of you pups, to the Lookout!"

"Ryder needs us!"

While Ryder took off for the stairs, the pups ran to the elevator. The pups lined up, but Marshall tripped over the game platform. He rolled into the elevator… right through where Skye normally stood to crash into the wall.

"Boy, Skye narrowly missed that one," Chase commented.

The pups laughed as they were whisked to the top. The pups leaped out in uniform and Ryder was already waiting.

"Alright, pups, you already know the issue," Ryder said, as a screen moved down behind him. "Skye's reported back to say that no one was hurt, but the track is completely blocked and one of the wheels were damaged."

The pups sat up straighter as Ryder scrolled.

"For this mission, I'll need… Rubble! We'll need your bulldozer to clear off the tracks."

"Rubble on the double!"

"Next is… Rocky! I'll need you to fix the train wheel."

"Green means go!"

"Alright! Paw Patrol is on a roll!"

The pups howled and barked as Ryder slid down his pole to the garage. Rubble and Rocky jumped onto the slide and were dropped into their transformed vehicles. The team raced off.

* * *

When the team reached the train, they were greeted cheerily by the conductor. Skye had landed her copter nearby and was waiting as well.

"Hey, there, Ryder and pups," he said. "Am I glad to see you! I got stuck here a few hours ago, but didn't have any way to contact you. And since I can't leave my train alone…"

"No problem, Mr. Conductor," Ryder assured him. "Paw Patrol is happy to help."

The conductor smiled, then noticed Rocky as he climbed out of his vehicle. "Oh, Rocky! I've got that package that-"

Rocky hurriedly shook his head, making the conductor pause. After a second, he smiled and nodded, recognizing that is was intended to be a surprise.

"What first?" Rocky asked before Ryder could ask about the package.

Ryder cocked an eyebrow, but didn't ask. "Rubble, start moving the rocks. Rocky, check out the damage so we know what needs fixed."

The pups got to work. Rubble quickly shoved aside most of the big debris from the tracks, then hopped down from the bulldozer to move the smaller rocks himself. Rocky sniffed and prodded around the damaged wheel of the train.

"Good news," Rocky informed everyone. "The wheel was just knocked out of place. I can fix it easily with just a bolt…" He trailed off and trotted toward his vehicle.

"And I'm almost done here," Rubble added.

Rubble drove up to a boulder and started to push it aside. There was a rumbling sound, then the pile of stones collected on the hillside started to shift.

Ryder spun around. "Rubble, stop!"

Rubble slammed on the brakes, but the stones continued to rumble. The movement went up the hillside, then a second slide started!

"Take cover!" Ryder yelled.

Skye jumped into her copter. She flew over to Rubble, who grabbed onto the harness to get lifted into the sky. Ryder scooped up Rocky, making the mixed-breed yelp and nearly drop his bolt, then scrambled up beside the conductor.

Stone clattered down the hillside behind the train. Aside from a few pebbles that struck the boxcars, the slide didn't touch the train. It did, however, block the track behind them.

"Okay, it's over now!" Skye called to the group.

Rocky peeked over the door and saw the hillside had stabilized again. "What happened?"

"The rocks below are holding the rest of them up," Rubble said as he was gently lowered to the ground. He frowned at the hill. "If I move the wrong rocks, the whole thing could come down."

"So we'll have to be really careful," Ryder said.

"I don't know, Ryder…"

To make his point, Rubble walked up to the slide. He pulled out a stone, and the whole pile shuddered ominously.

"We can't clear anything, without making it all collapse," Rubble said. "I think it would be safer to just let it all fall, then clear it later and fix the tracks."

"That's a great idea, Rubble, but…" the conductor gestured around him. "My train would be destroyed!"

"We have to move just enough to get the train out of the way," Ryder said thoughtfully. "But without making the whole hillside collapse."

"I don't want to move anything without knowing what it could be holding up," Rubble said.

"You won't have to!" Rocky said.

Rubble cocked his head. "Do you have some way to chart the stone placement and scan the stones' weight?"

"I don't, but Wisp does!"

Even Ryder stared at Rocky at his announcement. The mixed-breed grinned as he ran to his truck and jumped into the back. He dug around to a special bin in the back and pulled out a half-completed Pup Pack.

Rocky climbed out with the orange and cyan Pup Pack in his mouth and dropped it in front of Ryder. He then returned into the train, where the conductor handed him a small box with Rocky's name on it. Rocky gratefully took the box, then leaped back to the ground.

Ryder was inspecting the Pup Pack. "What is this, Rocky?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Rocky said. "When Wisp was recovering and we had to keep her occupied, Zuma noticed that Wisp liked to study rocks and she's really good at figuring out how things stack together."

"This," Rocky went on, pointing to the Pack, "Will have an X-ray and echolocation so Wisp can figure it out even better, and has a chart so she can map everything out!"

"And with this, she could figure out the rocks that are safe to move?" Ryder asked.

"She sure could! She could even test scenarios out with a simulator," Rocky said. He tapped the box. "I've been waiting for the simulator chip for weeks now."

"That's amazing, Rocky!" Ryder exclaimed.

Rocky beamed. "Thanks, Ryder. Could you call in Wisp, and I'll finish this up real fast."

* * *

Wisp arrived within ten minutes, just as Rocky was finishing up with the Pup Pack. As Wisp hadn't been told about the new Pack, she was completely surprised when Rocky pulled it out.

It wasn't even just a pack, either. It included a full helmet and outfit, all colored a dull orange with cyan highlights. It had boots with thick tread. The Pup Pack had the X-Ray and simulator on a screen in the Pup Pack, and echolocation in the helmet visor. Also in the Pup Pack was a claw arm.

"This is amazing!" Wisp yelped happily, running in circles in her new gear. "Thank you, Rocky!"

Rocky chuckled. "It was Zuma's idea, really."

Wisp stopped and turned to look seriously at Rocky. "But you made it. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Rocky said awkwardly.

Wisp grinned, then turned to get to work.

* * *

Wisp spent ten minutes climbing up and down the hillside, doing scans and checking weights. She then sat down and spent almost an hour running through test simulations.

While Wisp worked, Rocky got busy fixing the train wheel. With Rubble's bulldozer working as a jack, Rocky was able to put the wheel back in place and screw it back on.

Finally, she stood up and called the others closer.

"Okay, I've got it figured out," Wisp said. "There's no way we can clear out the tracks in front of the train while the train is still there. That one boulder is simply holding up too much, and we can't brace it anywhere above. Now, behind the train is another matter…"

Soon, Wisp laid out her plan and was directing the team. Rocky found sturdy pieces of wood and metal in the back of his truck. Skye carried the supplies up to where Rubble waited, and the bulldog used his scoop arm to dig a few holes to put posts in. Wisp stood in between the slides and directed Ryder while he put the braces into place.

For a while, everything went smoothly.

Then, when Ryder was putting the last brace in place, there was a rumble. A few stones rattled down the hillside, knocking Ryder to the ground and clattering against the train. The pups scattered, but the slide settled again.

"Ryder!"

Rocky, on the opposite side of the track, jumped up at Wisp's cry. He ran around the train, and saw Ryder sitting on the ground. He was holding his right ankle.

"I'm okay, Wisp," Ryder said calmly. "I just twisted my ankle."

Casting a nervous glance up the hillside, Rocky ran to Ryder with the other pups. Ryder assured them all that he was fine, but he fell down when he tried to stand.

"Somebody call Marshall," Wisp said, tucking her head under Ryder's arm to support him when he stood again. "Rubble, take Ryder someplace safe on my vehicle."

Skye immediately ran to Ryder's dropped Pup Pad and called the Lookout. The conductor went to Ryder, and helped the boy limp over to sit in the back of Wisp's vehicle. Rubble quickly drove a short distance away.

Rocky started when there was a scraping from up the hill. He glanced worriedly at the rocks above, but nothing was moving. Yet.

"We have to move fast. Skye, take your copter to where Rubble is with Ryder. Rocky, you move Ryder's ATV, then take your vehicle to where the others are," Wisp said, having taken charge with Ryder hurt and Chase and Marshall not there.

"I'll move my truck, but then I'm coming back," Rocky said. "Someone needs to watch the braces while the other moves the rocks on the tracks."

"Okay, move your vehicle, then go to Rubble's dozer," Wisp allowed.

Rocky stubbornly shook his head. "I'm bigger. I'll be able to get the brace put it easier than you could."

Wisp narrowed her eyes. "Okay, fine. But if the rocks start to go, you go."

"Understood."

While Wisp ran to move the vehicles, Rocky picked up the last brace in his claw arm. He gingerly wedged it between the stones against the post. A couple small stones rattled past him, but nothing major moved.

"Ready!" Rocky called down to Wisp.

Wisp quickly bulldozed the boulders away. A few more stones slid down, but Rocky was relieved to see that the braces held.

Once the bigger stones were moved, Wisp jumped down to shove the smaller stones out of the way.

Rocky was about to join her, when he heard a grating scratch. He spun to see that the newest brace was starting to bend!

"Hurry, Wisp!" Rocky yelped. "Arf! Claw!"

Rocky's claw arm extended and grabbed the center of the brace. Rocky braced his paws, and was relieved when the brace stopped moving.

"Rocky, what are you doing?!" Wisp demanded.

Rocky looked down the hill. The track was cleared, and the conductor began to slowly back up. Wisp was moving the dozer out of the way. She was also glaring up at him.

"The brace started to give! I'm holding it, but-" Rocky's paws slid the tiniest bit, "I can't do it for much longer!"

The conductor, seeing Rocky's position, quickened his pace. Once the train was safely out of the way, Rocky gave a quick check for anyone still in the path.

"It's clear!" Wisp yelled. "Go!"

Rocky released his claw, but had to replace it when it immediately started to move.

"Well?" Wisp called.

"I can't move! Once I let go, the whole thing will go!"

Wisp scowled, and Rocky could imagine her growl of frustration. She looked quickly around, then her ears perked up like she had an idea.

"Skye, are you there?" Wisp asked through the collar.

"I'm here and we're all clear!" Skye reported cheerfully.

"Good, because Rocky isn't! I need you to fly up and get your harness to Rocky. Then, you can pull him away before he's crushed," Wisp said.

"Crushed?!" Rubble yelped.

"Not if I'm quick enough!" Skye said.

Within a minute, Rocky felt something touch his back. He turned his head and saw the harness. He reached out with a paw and grabbed it, then realized that he wouldn't be able to put it on while his claw arm was extended.

"I'm going to have to grab on with my mouth," Rocky told Skye. "On the count of three, pull me up! One-"

Rocky clamped his jaws on the harness and stuck the paw holding the harness straight through.

"Two," Skye said.

Rocky was jerked forward as the brace broke free of one of the poles. His paws skittered on the loose pebbles.

"Three!" Wisp yelled.

Rocky felt a wretch on his jaws as Skye jerked her copter up, yanking Rocky along with it.

From below, there was a _snap_ as something in the brace line finally gave up, and a loud rumbling and scraping. By the time Skye set Rocky down and he could turn, the entire hillside had collapsed.

"Woah!" Rubble yelped. "That's a lot of rock!"

"Is everyone here?" Ryder asked, worriedly looking around from his spot on Wisp's vehicle.

"Everyone but Wisp," Rocky said, then tapped his collar. "Wisp, how are you and the train?"

Wisp sighed. "We're both fine. Thanks, Skye, for getting Rocky clear."

"No problem!" Skye yelped.

"That was very risky," Ryder said, looking sternly at Rocky. "You could have gotten hurt, or worse!"

"I didn't want the train to be destroyed," Rocky said, feeling a bit sheepish now that the rush was over.

Ryder shook his head. "Trains can be replaced, not my pups."

"Yes, Ryder," Rocky murmured, lowering his head.

"That said…"

Rocky felt his head being pet, and lifted his head. Ryder was giving him a fond smile.

"You're a very good pup."

At that moment, the sound of sirens made the team turn. Marshall was just pulling up on his ambulance.

"Is everyone oka-ah!"

Marshall's question turned into a startled yelp when Marshall leaped down and slipped on a few pebbles. He sprawled out on his stomach.

"I'm good," Marshall quickly said.

"We're all fine here, except for Ryder. He sprained his ankle," Skye explained.

"While Marshall takes care of Ryder, we'll start moving the rocks," Wisp said. "Everything that was loose came down, so all we have to do is move them."

Wisp, Rubble, Rocky, and Skye got to work. Wisp continued to use Rubble's dozer to move the large rocks, and Rubble used his Pack scoop to move the smaller stones. Rocky attached Skye's harness to some of the medium-sized boulders, and Skye lifted the boulders to set them safely to the side.

The slide was so big, though, that the pups realized they would need help. Chase and Zuma were called in, and Marshall and the conductor joined the digging. Ryder was eventually allowed to help by pushing boulders away with his ATV.

When the biggest debris had been cleared, Rocky went to check the tracks. A couple of the rails had been damaged, so he and Chase headed to town to get replacement rails.

By the time Rocky had the new rails in place, the rest of the debris had been cleared. Wisp checked the hillside, and determined that the rest of the hillside was solid.

Everyone was dusty and exhausted. The Paw Patrol bid good-bye to the conductor, then wearily headed to the Lookout. Once there, they stumbled inside and collapsed on the ground, blankets, or beanbags.

"I've never worked so hard in my life!" Rubble panted.

A moment later, he was snoring. Ryder chuckled and scooped up the youngest pup. He limped outside to take Rubble to his proper bed. Marshall mumbled a protest at Ryder walking, but Ryder continued.

Marshall dragged himself to his paws. "I'd better make sure Ryder's okay. Everyone, try to get to your beds so Ryder won't have to move you, okay?"

The pups mumbled sleepily. Skye stood and followed Marshall outside. Rocky dragged himself to his paws and turned to check on the other pups.

Zuma was moving slowly toward the door. Chase and Wisp were sitting side-by-side, and Rocky could just make out their conversation.

"How often to earthquakes occur around here?" Wisp was asking.

Chase yawned before answering. "Never. Why?"

Wisp hummed. "No reason. Come on, before Marshall drags us to bed."

The remaining pups made their way outside and sprawled in their beds.

Rocky curled up under his blanket. He was exhausted, but content after a day of such hard work. He started to drift off right away, but not before feeling a hand gently ruffle his ears and Ryder's soft voice.

"Good pup."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Guest review responses!:**

 **Zuma Lover: Sorry I didn't get to you last chapter. I would love any ideas you have! Are the titles that you have given me all that you have, or did you have more detail to give me? Wisp doesn't have to be the main pup in the story, of course. These chapters focus on any character! Sorry, but I do not take any more OC's; the pups I have established will be the only OC's, except for one more OC of mine who will appear later.**


	7. Pups and the Fox Kit

**A/N: I was trying to get a story with Tracker done to post, but it just doesn't feel right. It might just be me, though, since it doesn't have any of the drama that you've been seeing. Do you guys want me to risk posting it?**

 **On the same point, I threw in the towel on trying to keep this story from the dramatics. Domestic "emergencies" still happen in Adventure Bay, I'm just not writing them... I even changed the genres of this! The Wisp Saga is going to get dramatic and be full of thrills and danger that never happen in reality in Adventure Bay. If you've been holding out on me, hoping that my stories would chill... they won't, sorry.**

 **Anyway...**

 **Requested by Demonlord555**

 **Synopsis: After finding an abandoned fox kit outside her puphouse, Skye adopts it and learns a hard lesson in responsibility. At the same time, a lie shatters Skye's trust in Chase.**

* * *

Late one cloudy night in Adventure Bay, when everyone should have been in bed, a lone figure crept along the edge of the town.

It stuck close to the shadows of trees and buildings, making its figure indistinct. When it paused at the border of an alley, its small, four-legged form briefly became clear. It held something bulky in its mouth.

Slowly, carefully, the figure approached a broad field. It stopped and waited for a full five minutes before darting across the clearing and to pavement. It stopped and looked up at the tall tower in the center of the space.

Around the tower was seven small dog houses of varying colors and shapes. The figure crept up to the house that was bright pink in color and paused. From inside, came soft snores.

After another quick check, the figure lowered its bundle gently to the ground. When the bundle touched, something inside squirmed and whimpered.

The figure stepped back and opened its mouth, making a louder sound like the bundle had. Once the snores from the pup house stopped, the figure turned and bolted. It didn't stop until it was back in the shadows, and leaped into a bush before turning to watch.

The pup house door opened, and a sleepy cockapoo stumbled out. She froze when the bundle whimpered, then turned to it. Very slowly, the pup untied the blanket and something popped out. The pup jumped, then leaned closer and cooed at the little critter inside.

Content, the figure turned and silently walked away.

* * *

A paw tapped softly on the door of Skye's puphouse. Skye's ear twitched, but she was too intent on the small sleeping figure curled against her side to respond

"Skye, are you awake?" came Chase's voice. "It's getting late."

The critter tucked against Skye stirred, then raised her red-furred muzzle to give a tiny adorable yawn. Skye nudged the baby, and gave her a lick on her pointed muzzle.

"Skye!"

"I'm coming, Chase," Skye said softly.

Skye carefully stood. The critter whimpered and wobbled onto her small paws. Skye giggled, then bent down and picked her up by her scruff. She opened up the pup house door.

Chase was about to say something when the door opened, but then he made an odd noise and appeared to lose his train of thought. His mouth hung open for a long moment, then he cleared his throat.

"Skye… why are you holding a baby fox?" Chase squeaked out.

Skye placed the fox between her paws to speak. "I found her really early this morning outside my pup house."

"Where did she come from?" Chase asked. He leaned down to sniff the fox, who blinked at him with her green eyes, then batted at his nose.

"I don't know. She was wrapped in a ratty old blanket, but that's all." Skye nuzzled the fox closer. "I'm naming her Ruby."

Chase blinked at her. "This is a wild animal! You can't name her!"

Skye lifted her head challengingly. "She's just a baby. And I needed something to call her."

Chase shook his head. "Bring… Ruby inside. We'll ask Ryder what to do with her."

Skye frowned, but picked up Ruby and followed Chase. On their way inside, they passed Rocky, Zuma, and Wisp, who stared after them and followed as well. Inside, Ryder and the rest of the pups were eating, though they stopped when they realized what Skye was carrying.

"Is that a fox?" Ryder asked, standing.

Skye nodded and put Ruby down. "I found her outside my pup house this morning. I named her Ruby. Can I keep her?"

"Woah, woah, slow down," Ryder said with a chuckle. "I'm sure her mother must be close by and is looking for her now."

"I don't think so, Ryder," Chase spoke up. "Skye said the baby fox was wrapped in a blanket when she found her."

"Wrapped in a blanket?" Ryder repeated. "Then I don't think it was her mother. Someone else must have left her here."

"But, why?" Rubble asked.

"Paw Patrol always helps anyone in need," Chase said. "Human or pup, domestic or wild."

"Right. I think the better question is, why didn't they show themselves?" Ryder mused. "Why the secrecy? Chase, why don't you see if you can pick up a scent?"

"Good idea, Ryder!" Chase rushed out of the Lookout.

Ryder shooed the other pups back to what they had been doing, then sat beside Skye. Ruby was busy sucking on Skye's paw, making the cockapoo giggle.

"I think she is hungry," Ryder said.

"Do you think she can eat pup food?" Skye asked.

Ryder gently pried open Ruby's mouth. The kit squeaked and tried to bite Ryder, but she had no teeth to hurt him.

"No, she is still too young," Ryder decided. "We should take her to Katie. She might have kitten formula that the fox kit can eat."

"Her name is Ruby," Skye reminded him.

Ryder chuckled. "Let's take _Ruby_ to Katie."

* * *

Katie looked up from grooming Cali when Ryder and Skye walked into the clinic. "Morning, Ryder and Skye. What are you doing here so early?"

"We had a visitor last night," Ryder said, motioning Skye forward.

Skye walked up to Katie and turned her body. On her side hung on of Rocky's old tool bags. Ruby was bundled up in a blanket inside, and she gave a small yip when Katie leaned down to see her.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Katie cooed. "Where did she come from?"

"We haven't figured that out yet," Ryder said. "And until we do, we need something that she can eat."

Katie had already scooped up the kit and was gently checking her. "Well, she doesn't have enough teeth for pup food. I think I have some formula that will work for her, though."

Skye carefully watched Katie work. Although she knew Katie would be careful, she didn't like her little charge to be away from her. She sighed in relief when Katie returned Ruby to the bag.

Katie went to the the back of the clinic and searched for a few minutes before returning with a box and bottle. She handed them to Ryder.

"She's still very young, so she will need to be watched at all times and fed every four hours." Katie thought for a moment. "It might be best if you left her here."

"No!" Skye yelped, making the kids look at her. She drew herself up. "I can take care of Ruby."

"Are you sure, Skye?" Ryder asked. "Taking care of a kit will be a lot of work. You will have to clean her and keep her busy. Feeding her every four hours means waking up in the middle of the night."

"I can do it," Skye said firmly. "Don't you trust me, Ryder?"

"I do," Ryder said with a laugh. "I just want to make sure you know what you are getting into."

"It will be fine," Skye said.

"Then I'll be leaving Ruby in your care," Ryder said, putting the box of powered formula and bottle into the bag on Skye's other side.

Skye beamed at Ryder, then had a thought. "What if someone needs my help on a mission?"

"Either we'll make do without you, or another one of the pups can watch Ruby," Ryder decided.

"Yippee!" Skye yelped. She nearly backflipped, but remembered Ruby just in time. "Don't worry, Ryder, Ruby is in good paws!"

* * *

When the trio returned to the Lookout, Ruby was sound asleep. Skye carefully headed for her puphouse, and saw Chase still sniffing around.

"Find any clues, Chase?" Skye whispered.

Chase lifted his head. He was about to answer, when his face twisted. He quickly sat back and pressed his paws to his muzzle to muffle a sneeze. He blinked, then lowered his paws.

"Nothing. All I can smell is garlic. Alex must have dropped some garlic bread when he was here yesterday evening," Chase said.

Skye cocked her head. "But… Alex came here two days ago, and it rained yesterday morning."

Chase got a funny look on his face. "So he did…"

"Chase?"

Chase shook his head. "There must be garlic bread around here somewhere. I'll check further away for fox scents."

Skye watched Chase walk away. He was acting odd, but she shrugged it off as she headed inside her puphouse.

Skye bundled her blankets into a next in the corner of the puphouse, then settled Ruby inside. The fox kit stirred, but settled back to sleep.

" _Ruby will be hungry when she wakes up,"_ Skye thought.

Leaving Ruby to sleep, Skye slipped out of the puphouse and ran inside the Lookout. No one was inside as she ran up to Ryder's apartment and into his tiny kitchen. She dragged out the box of powdered formula, then studied the instructions.

" _Maybe I should get Ryder's help."_ Skye immediately shook her head at the thought. " _No. Ryder's trusting me to take care of Ruby, so I will!"_

While the need was rare, all the pups knew how to use Ryder's stove. Skye dragged a chair into the kitchen and hopped onto the counter. She measured out some water into a pan, then set the pan on the stovetop and turned it on. Once the water was hot enough, she poured in one of the formula packets and stirred. She then carefully poured the formula into a bottle and capped it.

"There we go!" Skye said happily. "Knew I could do it!"

Skye picked up the bottle in her mouth and trotted outside. She waved at Rocky as he drove by, then headed to her puphouse. She was humming cheerily, but the humming broke off and she froze when she saw her puphouse.

The door was wide open.

Dropping the bottle, Skye raced inside. Her blanket was still bundled up in the corner, but it was empty! Skye ran outside and circled the puphouse, but there was no sign of the missing kit.

"Oh, no! Where could she have gone?!" Skye yelped. "I need to find-" Skye stopped herself before she could run off. "No, I can't tell Ryder. He trusted me with Ruby! If he finds out that I lost her already, he'll never trust me again!"

Skye whined indecisively. Ryder was playing with Rubble, Zuma, Marshall, and Wisp in the yard, but she didn't dare ask for help or even hint that Ruby was missing.

Skye tried sniffing around the puphouse like Chase did when he was tracking, but her nose simply wasn't any good at that. She checked around the other puphouses as subtly as she could so as to not arouse any suspicion. Her search turned up nothing, though, and Skye could feel herself panicking.

" _Maybe she went inside,"_ Skye thought worriedly.

Skye darted inside and searched the Lookout top to bottom. When Ruby was still nowhere to be found, Skye almost howled in despair.

" _Where could she be?!"_

Skye ran outside and looked desperately around. She knew it was time to ask for help, but she was too afraid of disappointing Ryder to do so.

Wait, Chase! He could track Ruby down, and he wouldn't mention it to Ryder if Skye asked! It was even possible that Ruby had followed the German Shepherd!

Skye ran in the direction that she had seen Chase take. Her route took her close by Ryder and the other pups, and she winced when Ryder glanced up and called her name.

"I'll be back soon, just taking Ruby for a walk!" Skye yelled, ducking into the brush and deactivating her collar before any questions could be asked.

Luckily, the ground was still damp enough under the trees that Skye could easily see Chase's paw prints. Unluckily, there weren't any Ruby-sized pawprints.

Skye swallowed the lump rising in her throat and made herself run faster. Chase shouldn't have been far away! But the prints just kept going and going, deeper into the forest that edged Adventure Bay.

* * *

Skye was a quarter mile from the Lookout before she heard a familiar howl from close by. She skidded around a tree, then crashed right into the owner of the howl. Both pups fell backward onto their tails.

Chase quickly leaped up. "Skye, are you alright?"

"I'm… fine," Skye panted, accepting Chase's helping paw to stand. "I… I was… looking for… you."

"Me?" Chase cocked his head. "Why didn't you go to the Lookout? I was headed there."

"Did you find something about Ruby?"

"No, Ryder called." Chase cocked his head. "Didn't you hear?"

"No…"

Chase sat down. "What's wrong, Skye? You've never turned off your collar."

"I've lost Ruby!" Skye wailed.

Chase started. "How?"

"I left to make her some formula, then I got back and she was gone!"

"Is that why Ryder called us to the Lookout?"

Skye lowered her head. "I didn't tell him."

"What?"

"I didn't tell Ryder!" Skye yelped, starting to cry. "I didn't want to disappoint him, but Ruby's not around the Lookout, and I can't track!"

"Woah, woah, it's okay." Chase smiled reassuringly. "We'll find Ruby."

Skye sniffled. "Don't tell Ryder?"

Chase frowned at the request. "That's not a good idea. Ryder won't be mad, you know that."

"Please!" Skye pleaded.

Chase opened his mouth, then sighed. He tapped his collar to deactivate it. "Okay. She couldn't have gotten far, anyway."

The pups headed back to the Lookout, where they found the rest of the puphouses gone. Skye felt guilty for not being there to help with whatever job they were on, but trusted the rest of the team to make do without her.

"Well, this is as good of a place to start as any."

Chase started sniffing around Skye's puphouse, eyes narrowing as he sorted through the scents. Skye ran around the Lookout again, hoping to come across Ruby on her own.

After ten minutes of useless searching, Skye returned to the front of the Lookout. Chase was standing still in front of where Rocky's puphouse normally was, in his "on point" position.

"Did you find anything?" Skye asked hopefully.

Chase relaxed and shook his head. "The scent is all muddled from the pups leaving on their vehicles. It's like she vanished into thin air."

"Oh, Ruby!" Skye howled. She dropped onto her stomach to clutch her head. "I wasn't ready for this! Why did I think that I could take care of Ruby?!"

"Stop that."

Skye looked up, startled out of her self-pity by Chase's stern tone. The German Shepherd was frowning down at her, his own body drawn up firmly.

"You are a sweet, caring pup who doesn't like to see baby animals alone," Chase said. "Maybe you don't have the experience, but you have the determination to be a responsible pup. And one thing you need to learn about responsibility is to deal with issues when they arise. You can't just throw yourself on the ground anytime something goes wrong! So pick yourself up, get a grip, and help me find Ruby!"

Skye scrambled to stand and blink away the tears. Chase's fierce expression relaxed, and he nodded at Skye.

"Good pup. Now, if you were a little lost fox kit, where would you go?"

Skye took a deep breath and closed her eyes to think. Ruby would have been frightened when she woke up alone.

Skye pushed back the guilt at the thought and focused.

Ruby must have accidentally pushed the button to open the puphouse doors while searching for Skye. Once outside, she would have gone to the Lookout…

Wait, no she wouldn't! Ruby had been there for less than a day. She didn't know that the Lookout was someplace safe! She would have turned toward something more familiar, something like…

"The forest!" Skye yelped, opening her eyes. "I bet she went into the forest!"

Chase nodded, looking proud. "Then that is where we will start."

Skye and Chase went to the closest section of trees and began their search anew. Skye scanned the ground for any signs that Ruby had gone that way, but there was nothing.

Just out of view of the Lookout, Skye noticed a two sets of pawprints. One was headed for the Lookout, then an identical set was going the opposite way.

" _Weird,"_ Skye thought. " _None of us pups go this far into the woods."_

Skye put her nose to the prints and sniffed deeply. The first scent she could detect was… garlic? Skye lifted her head. Chase had been complaining about garlic earlier…

She tried again, concentrating harder than ever. Beneath the garlic was a musky scent, and…

"Ruby!" Skye cried. "Chase! Chase, I found Ruby's scent!"

Chase burst out of the bushes. He looked at the tracks, expression briefly going panicked before his features smoothed. He calmly sniffed the tracks, then shook his head.

"It's garlic."

Skye bristled. "I know that! But underneath the garlic is another animal's scent and Ruby's!" Skye gasped. "Do you think someone stole her?"

"These tracks must be mine," Chase said. "Ruby's scent is too old to have come this way, and the garlic is the trail I was following."

Skye's eyes narrowed. "No, they aren't."

"Aren't what?"

"These aren't your tracks," Skye said.

"What are you talking about, of course they-"

Skye cut in with a growl. "First! You said the garlic was only around the Lookout!"

"Well, maybe-"

"Second! I could never scent Ruby on you from the little bit that you were around her. I can't smell her on you now!"

"Don't-"

"Third! I followed your tracks from the Lookout, and they went a different way!"

"I could've-"

"Stop interrupting!" Skye snarled. Chase stepped back, ears flattening. "Fourth and final point." Skye pointed a paw at the prints that were too small and scuffed to be from Chase's large, steady paws. "These. Are. Not. Your. Tracks."

Chase glanced at the tracks, then back to Skye, who continued to glare at him. His mouth opened and closed a couple times before he spoke.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Skye had the sudden urge to grab Chase's ear in her teeth and drag him around until he told the truth. Chase must have seen that, because he actually took a step back.

"Don't you lie to me, Chase!" Skye seethed.

"I'm not… I don't…" Chase fumbled for words.

"You can't even admit it!" Skye spat. "I don't know what you are hiding, but I don't even want to hear it. Just go back to the Lookout. Tell Ryder that I failed, for all I care. You obviously don't."

Skye turned from the awestruck Chase and started to run. She didn't realize that she was crying again until tears blurred her vision and caused her to trip. She sprawled on the ground, but hurried to stand. Chase was likely right behind her.

Skye looked down and realized that she had been following the tracks. Why would Chase lie about them? He never lied to anyone!

Her eyes narrowed. Whoever owned the tracks could lead her to Ruby and they might know what would lead Chase to lie.

Skye started to run again, determined to get to the bottom of everything.

* * *

Skye ran and ran through the forest. She had a vague idea of where she was, but only because the looming Pendrake mountain was getting closer.

Skye eventually had to stop and catch her breath. As she leaned against a tree, she noticed a buzzing sound that didn't belong to the forest noises. She ducked under a bush and peered out.

Chase's spy drone flew into view. It circled around the tracks. Skye held her breath, hoping the ground was dry enough to not point the drone toward the bush.

After a minute, the drone turned and flew off. Skye let out her breath and crawled back into the open.

Chase likely would have told the others about her running off by then. They probably knew about her losing Ruby, too.

Angry tears rose in Skye's eyes. She shook her head.

"Crying won't get Ruby back, Skye," she berated herself. "Just keep going."

Skye resumed her mad dash through the trees. As the tracks reached the base of Pendrake Mountain, the tracks suddenly became a wild mash. Skye couldn't tell if there had been multiple canines in the area, or if a single one had run in circles to throw of pursuit.

Eventually, Skye sorted out a single set of tracks headed deeper into the forest. She smiled and ran on.

Ahead, there was a fallen tree. The tracks went right to it. Rather than go around, Skye gathered herself and leaped over the trunk.

Skye landed in a slick of mud, instantly slipping onto her side. She yelped as her momentum sent her skidding across the ground. Before she could recover, the ground suddenly vanished beneath her! Skye twisted and saw a dark hole directly under her.

"Arf! Wings!" Skye cried, forgetting that she wasn't wearing her Pup Pack.

Skye crashed into the far wall of the hole, just a few feet from the top. Blinking rapidly, Skye desperately tried to grab onto something. But her paws slipped right off the stone, and Skye was falling again.

Her hindquarters struck something hard, making her cry out as she fell on her side. She rolled a couple times from her momentum, right off the stone that she had fallen on. Her head cracked against something solid, turning everything black.

* * *

"...com… kye!"

Skye moaned at static attacking her ringing ears. She weakly lifted a paw to press against her ear, trying to keep the annoying sound out.

"Skye, pl… in!"

Skye started when she heard her name. She blinked her eyes open, but was surrounded by darkness. There was a tiny glow from under her chin, the same place from which the voice was coming.

"Ryd… saying anything… worried."

It took a few seconds to reorient herself, but Skye realized that it was Chase's voice coming from her collar. She also remembered slipping and falling into a hole, though she couldn't make out any outside light from where she laid on her side.

While her friends' voices continued to static and fritz from the collar, Skye made herself stand. Her whole body ached and her head pounded, but searching paws didn't find any cuts. She gave herself a vigorous shake to clear out the last of the cobwebs in her mind, then focused on the voices from her collar again.

"We're…. out. Where…." Marshall was speaking that time.

Chase responded. "Found… scent and prints… fell…"

"Pups?" Skye tried. "Pups, it's Skye."

No one appeared to hear, meaning her collar must have been damaged. Sitting, Skye tugged off her collar and set it on the ground.

Skye crouched and studied the tag. The cover had come partially off, but Skye couldn't see if the insides were broken. Carefully, Skye used her claw to nudge the cover back into place and pressed down. Most of the static cleared up immediately.

"-isp, and I are headed your way, Chase," Ryder was saying. "Just hang on."

"Pups? Ryder?" Skye tried.

"Skye!" Ryder exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"Um, I fell into a hole near Pendrake Mountain," Skye said.

"Okay, so I was right," Chase said. "Don't worry, Skye. I'm right above you. Here, I'll shine a light."

Skye looked up. There was a dull glow above her, but it appeared to be coming from behind a ledge or turn in the tunnel.

"I see it," Skye said.

"Are you hurt?" Marshall asked.

"Just sore," Skye assured him. "I hit my head, but I think it will be fine."

"I'll be the judge of that," Marshall said skeptically.

"Whatever you do, don't move," Wisp chimed in. "You don't have any light in there, do you?"

"Just a tiny glow from my collar," Skye said. "Don't worry, I won't budge a bit!"

"We were so worried when we couldn't find you," Ryder said. "Chase said that you had run off."

Skye lowered her head in shame. "Yes, Ryder. It's because… because I lost Ruby. I left her alone without thinking, and she wandered off. I tried so hard to find her, Ryder, but she's gone!"

"Chase told me," Ryder said soothingly. "It's okay, Skye."

"No, it's not!" Skye yelped, feeling fresh tears rise up. "Ruby is still missing!"

"No, she isn't," Chase said quickly.

Skye sniffed. "What?"

"Ruby climbed into Rocky's recycling truck when he was headed for Farmer Yumi's," Chase explained. "When we went to the Lookout and found everyone gone, it's because they were all looking for you."

Skye gasped. Ruby was safe? Imagine that, she had never been missing in the first place! It was _Skye_ that everyone had been so worried about!

Skye started to laugh at the absurdity, then stopped. Why was Chase telling her that? Part of her said that it was just because he was the first one to talk, but another part wondered if it was because… because he was just trying to calm her down.

"Skye?" Chase asked. "Skye, is your collar still working?"

Skye shook her head. She was being ridiculous! Chase would never lie.

" _Just like he didn't lie about the tracks?"_ a betrayed voice whispered in her head.

"Skye?" Marshall sounded worried.

"Ruby's back?" Skye whispered.

"Yeah, she-" Chase started.

"I don't want to hear it from you!" Skye snapped. "Rocky, was Ruby really in your truck?"

A strained silence fell over the collars. The silence only served to heighten Skye's fears, until she couldn't handle it anymore.

"Rocky, answer me!"

"Ah! Uh, yeah, she was! Chase just said so."

"Was she really?" Skye knew she was crying and probably being overdramatic, but she couldn't help it. She had never, ever thought that any of her friends would lie to her, yet Chase clearly had. She felt betrayed and hurt. "Is Ruby really okay?!"

"Yes, Ruby is just fine!" Ryder put in. "Skye, what's wrong? Is your collar cutting out?"

"My collar is working fine," Skye hissed out.

"Skye, I-"

"Just stop, Chase!"

Chase fell silent. Marshall jumped into the conversation.

"Okay, Skye? Listen to me. I need to ask you a few questions, okay?"

"Okay," Skye whispered. The team thought she had hit her head too hard, most likely.

"What's your name?" Marshall asked.

Skye sighed, but humored him. "Skye."

"Good, good. What's my name?"

"Marshall."

"What's the name of our team?"

Skye choked at the word "team," but forced out, "Paw Patrol."

"And what do you fly?"

The pointless questions went on until Wisp announced that she was going to climb down.

"I'm coming down, too," Marshall said.

"Are you sure?" Wisp asked. "It could get narrow."

Marshall had slight claustrophobia, the team had recently learned. It was rare for him to have any problems, but Wisp was always hesitant to take him climbing.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I need to make sure Skye didn't break anything when she fell."

Skye didn't insist that she was fine. Marshall always worried when one of them was hurt, and it was best to let him do his check-ups.

Skye sat and patiently waited. Within a few minutes, a head poked over a ledge above and flooded the area with light.

"Wisp!" Skye yipped, jumping to her paws.

Wisp grinned. "We've found Skye!"

Wisp and Marshall climbed down to where Skye waited. Skye eagerly greeted them, nuzzling both of their ears, mindless of the mud coating Marshall.

"Okay, okay," Wisp said. She pushed Skye away, but was clearly holding back a grin. "Are you okay?"

Skye shrugged. "Just sore."

"Let me check," Marshall said, stepping closer. "Arf! X-Ray!"

Marshall's x-ray popped out of his Pup Pack and in front of him. Skye stood still while Marshall checked her over.

"Nothing's broken or sprained," Marshall declared, putting the x-ray away. "You're a lucky pup!"

"How did you even fall?" Wisp asked as she took a spare harness from her own. "Weren't you watching where you were walking?"

"You always ask that when we trip," Skye said with a giggle.

"So, you tripped?"

"No, I actually slipped in some mud," Skye said.

"Really? We saw the skid marks, but we didn't think they were yours. You must have been going pretty fast," Marshall said. "You had a bigger wipe-out than me!"

"You slipped, too?"

Wisp smirked. "You should have seen him. Why do you think he's all muddy?"

Skye giggled, able to imagine the scene. Wisp got to business, securely attaching the spare harness to Skye. She then clipped Skye's harness to her own with a short length of rope.

"Ready?" Wisp asked when the three pups stood beside the tunnel wall. Skye and Marshall nodded. "Alright. Pull us up!"

The pups made their slow and steady way up the wall. When they reached the top, Skye pulled herself up to find herself muzzle to muzzle with Chase. He didn't make eye contact or try to talk, only moved to help Marshall. Ryder lifted Skye -harness and all- in his arms to hug her.

"Don't ever scare us again like that," Ryder whispered, holding Skye tight.

Skye cuddled against his chest. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, and there was someone else who wanted to see you!" Ryder said.

Ryder crouched and put Skye on the ground. Zuma was waiting. He wore Rocky's old tool bag and peeking over the top was-

"Ruby!"

Ecstatic, Skye ran over. She plucked Ruby from the bag and held her tight, making the tiny kit squeak. Skye loosened her hold, but didn't put her down.

"I was so worried when I couldn't find you!" Skye said, putting her nose to Ruby's forehead. She looked up at Ryder. "I'm sorry I lost Ruby. I… I understand if you don't want me to take care of her anymore."

"I'm not taking Ruby from you," Ryder said firmly.

Skye blinked. "You aren't?"

Ryder knelt and rubbed Ruby's head. "Of course not. You already love Ruby so much, and that's what matters. All I ask is that you aren't afraid to ask for help. And _never_ be afraid to admit your mistakes. We're lucky that Ruby wasn't really lost or hurt this time."

"I know." Skye looked down, then made herself lift her head to meet Ryder's eyes. "I'll be more responsible with Ruby from now on."

Ryder smiled. "Good pup." He stood. "Come on, pups. It's getting late; let's head back to the Lookout."

Marshall directed Skye into the back of his ambulance. Skye climbed up and curled herself around Ruby, and happened to glance outside.

Chase still stood beside the hole. He was sadly watching her.

Skye turned her head away, then Marshall closed the door.

* * *

That evening, Skye was settling Ruby down in the basket that Katie had loaned them. It had a woven top with wide gaps that would prevent Ruby from a late-night adventure.

Soft tapping distracted Skye from the kit. She walked to the door and opened it, unsurprised when she saw Chase standing outside.

"Yes, Chase?" Skye asked coolly.

"I'm glad you're okay," Chase said, voice and ears low.

"Thank you."

"Please don't be mad."

Skye blinked at Chase. "Mad? Why should I be mad? You only _lied_ to me. Why should that make me mad?"

Chase lowered his head as well. "I didn't mean…"

"Didn't mean what?" Skye shook her head. "How many other times have you lied to me, Chase? I thought we were friends."

"We _are_ friends! I never thought-" Chase stopped himself when Skye raised a paw.

"I asked Marshall about the tracks," Skye murmured. "You know what he said? 'What tracks?' that's what he said. What else are you lying about?"

"There's… there's things going on," Chase said, sounding desperate.

"What things?!"

"I… I can't tell you!"

Skye turned away. "It's alright. I don't trust you, either."

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's… it's all so complicated!" Chase protested.

Skye didn't turn as she said, "Not telling Ryder about Ruby being missing was a terrible decision. Don't make the same mistake."

When Chase didn't respond, Skye thought her heart would break. She gazed sadly over her shoulder at Chase, whose head hung nearly to the ground.

"I can't," Chase whispered. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," Skye said, closing the door.

* * *

 **A/N: That's the teenager coming out in the pups. XD Marshall was the first one to lose trust in his team, and now Skye's feeling betrayed. How could this get any worse?**

 **Well... let's just wait and see.**

 **The next chapter will finally have some Everest! If you've sent me a request and it hasn't been fulfilled yet, could you send it again, please? I feel like I missed some requests.**


	8. Pups in a Snowstorm

**A/N:**

 **This chapter about killed me. I finally got it finished, then tweaked it, and now I rather love the result. Nothing really happens, though.**

 **I tried with Jake, but my access to Paw Patrol episodes is limited, and Jake's not in them. That being said, the only variations you will see of the pups' gear (besides the simple changes for winter and jungle) in my stories will be Mission Paw and Water Patrol. I can't keep up with the changing types, so variations beyond that will be of my own invention. As it is, Water Patrol isn't officially part of their gear in these stories yet.**

 **While it wasn't a formal request, The Not-So-Ultimate Writer did say that they wanted some more background for the other pups.**

 **Synopsis: Everest, Marshall, Chase, and Rocky go for a hike in the mountain, but get caught in a storm.**

* * *

It had been far too long since the Paw Patrol had visited Jake's mountain in Everest's opinion. So when Ryder called to say that they were coming to visit, Everest was ecstatic.

The usual winter rush of skiers, hikers, and campers had twindled down so that Jake and Everest didn't spend every waking moment on the mountain.

By the day of their visit, the cabin had been cleaned to make room for the Paw Patrol, trails had been cleared for hiking, and Everest was ready to just plain play in the snow. Everest stood at the end of the road, ears pricked for the sound of approaching vehicles.

Finally, when even Everest's paws began to grow numb, she heard them. She bolted for the cabin, stumbling a bit on her chilled paws, and threw the door open.

"They're here!"

Jake laughed as Everest grabbed his pantleg in her teeth and tugged. "Okay, okay, Everest! I'm coming!"

"Come faster!" Everest shouted over her shoulder as she ran outside.

Ryder drove up first in his ATV, and each of the pups followed in their individual vehicles.

"You're here!" Everest yelped, jumping up and down.

Everest jumped onto the front of Ryder's ATV to lick his face, then leaped down to greet the rest of the pups. She nuzzled Chase's ear, then caught Marshall in a hug when he slipped off his ambulance. She moved on to roll in the snow with Rubble and chase Rocky in a quick circle. Skye got a hug and nuzzle while Everest cooed over Ruby -who wore a buffalo plaid coat and cap, and perched in an old toolbag. Wisp ducked away from a nuzzle, and Zuma was bowled into a snowbank when Everest slipped in her chase after Wisp.

"I haven't seen you guys in months!" Everest exclaimed. She leaped to her paws, mindless of the snow bunched in her fur.

"Well, I hear you were busy here, anyway," Marshall commented as he walked up.

"Still no excuse," Everest teased, batting Marshall with her tail.

"Uh, guys?" Zuma said. He was stuck on his back in the snow, paws waving. "I could use a little help."

Giggling, Everest and Marshall tugged Zuma to his paws. The snow stuck to Zuma's orange coat and hat in big clumps. The brown Lab shook himself clean, then ran after the others.

"I missed you pups so much! Has anything exciting happened?"

"No!"

Everest froze in her excited bouncing at Marshall's yelp. He was staring at her with wide eyes, as if startled by his own abrupt response. He lifted a paw to point.

"Ice! There's ice. You almost slipped on the ice."

Everest looked down and noticed that there was, indeed, a patch of ice in front of her. She smiled gratefully at Marshall and nuzzled him.

"You're so sweet."

"Oh, uh, i-it's nothing."

Everest giggled as Marshall took off. Feet away from the cabin, his paws slipped out from under him. He rolled into Chase, sending them both tumbling into the cabin's side. Once they recovered, they looked at each other.

"What can I say? I was on a roll," Marshall said.

The pair laughed, and the other pups, Ryder, and Jake quickly joined. Everest ran to help Rocky and Rubble untangle them, then everyone went into the warm cabin.

* * *

Hours passed quickly as the friends caught up. Stories, jokes, and coco made it seen like no time at all had passed. Early in the afternoon, the group headed outside.

"Who's up for some snowboarding?" Jake asked.

"Oh, me! Me!" Zuma yelped, jumping up and down. "Wisp, how about you?"

"I've never snowboarded before," Wisp said.

Zuma stopped jumping to stare at Wisp, his mouth hanging open. "Never snowboarded? Are you sure you worked on a ski slope?"

"I never tried it."

"You worked on a ski slope?" Everest asked. "Which one?"

Wisp shrugged and glanced away. "It was the… Pine Ridge Mountain. It's far from here, so I doubt you've heard about it. So, how do you snowboard?"

Everest blinked, startled when Wisp ran off with Zuma. "That was… abrupt."

"That's Wisp," Marshall said. Everest turned to see the other pups nodding along. "All we know about her life before Adventure Bay is the ski slope she used to live at, and that she learned her rescuing skills from a dog named Flurry. And we didn't even know the name of the ski slope until now."

Everest cocked her head in thought. "Pine Ridge is only a couple day's drive from here. I wonder why she thought I wouldn't know about it."

"That is kind of far," Marshall said. "How do you know about it?"

Everest lifted her chin. "I've studied other ski slopes."

Chase's ears pricked forward. "Really? Do you know about Flurry?"

"There's a lot of ski slopes, so I don't remember," Everest admitted. "I do recall that there was some rescue dogs mentioned." Everest narrowed her eyes. "There was something else… Sorry, I can't remember."

"It's a start," Marshall consoled. "We'll figure it out eventually. Anyone else going snowboarding?"

"Not right now," Chase said. "Rocky and I were going to take one of the hiking trails."

"Mind if I join you?" Everest asked.

"Me, too?" Marshall added.

"The more the merrier!" Rocky said cheerfully. "Skye and Rubble, what about you?"

"I think it's best if Ruby and I stick close to the cabin," Skye said.

"Same for me!" Rubble said. He crouched so that his muzzle was in front of Ruby, who was wading through the snow that reached her chest. "Wanna build a snow fort?"

Ruby squeaked and flung her paws up to hug Rubble's muzzle. The pair quickly went to work in patting down a section of snow for a base. Everest told Jake where they were going and grabbed supplies, then the four pups set out.

* * *

"Okay, we have two choices," Everest said when the group had reached the trailhead. "We can take either the meadow or mountain trail."

"We usually take the meadow trail, right?" Chase asked.

Everest nodded. "Yep. It's mostly flat, and there's rarely ice on the paths since it's so used. The mountain trail is steeper, and icy in parts because of the mountain streams."

"I haven't gone up the mountain trail," Rocky commented.

"Well, Rubble's too young to go so far, and Skye's kind of small," Everest said. "But we can go now if you want."

Rocky's ears pricked forward. "Yes!"

"It's been a while for me," Chase said, nodding.

"Well…" Marshall thought for a moment. "Okay!"

Everest grinned and turned to the right.

* * *

The mountain trail started out even and smooth, but quickly grew steeper and rough. The pups scrambled up large rocks bigger than them, avoiding smooth spots and slicks of ice.

"This is… a little steeper… than I remember," Chase panted after half an hour.

Everest looked down at the exhausted German Shepherd and giggled. He had stopped to sit. Marshall, having just dragged himself onto the same rock with Chase's help, sprawled beside him.

"Come on, you two!" Rocky called down. "We're only halfway there!"

Rocky had more stamina than Chase and Marshall, and Everest kept having to tell him to slow down. Currently, he was waiting on the trail a few feet higher than Everest.

"Since when... did you become such a... mountain goat?" Chase asked.

Rocky laid down and crossed his forepaws. "I've always been like this. I love climbing."

"Since when?" Marshall whined.

Rocky shrugged. "I guess I haven't had much of a chance to do it since I came to Adventure Bay. But I used to climb a lot where I was born."

"In the city?" Chase asked.

"Yep. Not much for rock-climbing there, but I can scale a chain-link fence in nothing flat," Rocky said.

"Why would you need to climb a fence like that?" Everest asked. All she knew about Rocky's past was that he was born in the city.

"A tiny mutt like me can't fight. My best chance at survival was to run and get over a fence that other dogs are too heavy to climb. If I was lucky, I could keep the food I found. More often than not, though, I had to drop anything I held."

Everest looked up at Rocky in shock. "That's awful!"

"It's city life," Rocky said with a shrug. "I was used to not having much."

"And that's why he's such a pack rat," Chase added, having caught his breath.

"I've never been able to actually hold onto stuff," Rocky said easily.

Everest cocked her head thoughtfully. Her own life before meeting the Paw Patrol had been just wandering from place to place. Nothing exciting or dangerous had ever happened, so it hadn't occurred to her that the other pups might not have been as lucky as her.

"What else don't I know about you pups?" Everest verbalized her thoughts.

Chase shrugged. "Not much here. Ryder and I grew up together. Well, us and Geo. Ryder's parents raised us."

Everest nodded. She had learned briefly about Geo after "the incident" in the Marshlands Forest, since the whole team had been so affected. She knew that Ryder's family had adopted Chase when he was young, so she assumed it had been the same with Geo. She also knew that Ryder's parents lived a few towns because Jake would take Ryder's place when the younger boy went to visit.

Everest looked at Marshall, but the pup wouldn't meet her eyes. Her head cocked the other way as the silence stretched out.

"Obviously, Marshall lived with Ryder his whole life, like Chase," Rocky said. Marshall and Chase didn't respond, prompting a more hesitant, "Right?"

"Only since I was five, when most pups go out into the world," Marshall said, waving a paw. He stood. "What are we all standing around for?"

"Waiting for you," Chase said with a grin.

Marshall grinned back as he darted up the path. "Then why are you behind?"

Everest started as the two pups raced past her and Rocky. She slowly made her way up to Rocky, whose expression mirrored her confusion.

"That was strange, right?" Everest asked.

Rocky sighed. "It's been a strange year."

"Meaning?"

Rocky hesitated. He and Everest started walking again, and Rocky eventually spoke.

"I used to never think about what our lives used to be like. I never thought that there would be secrets Ryder, Chase, or Marshall were keeping. But recently…" Rocky shook his head. "Marshall's been worrying. Chase and Zuma are up to something, I'm sure. Ryder's vanished a couple times for hours without warning or explanation. You've seen Wisp. And something's wrong between Chase and Skye. I don't know what happened, but ever since Skye and Chase got into an argument or something when Skye found Ruby. They kind of ignore each other for no reason."

"And it's just started?" Everest asked.

"Not just recently. It started slowly, but Rubble is starting to notice now."

Everest stopped, causing Rocky to halt as well. If the youngest and -frankly- most oblivious pup was seeing that something was going on, things had to be getting bad.

"We need to tell Jake," Everest said.

"And Tracker and Carlos. I think that whatever is going on, is more than a few hurt feelings and misunderstanding," Rocky said solemnly.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Everest asked.

Rocky looked more grim than Everest could remember seeing him. More than anyone, actually. Her hopes that the problem was just in their imaginations fled when Rocky wouldn't even answer.

"Are we going too fast for you?" Chase called down. He and Marshall had finally stopped.

"No!" Rocky called back, instantly smiling again. "Just taking it slow here!"

Everest and Rocky started walking again, quickly catching up to the pair. Chase and Marshall were grinning and panting from the climb, unaware of the conversation she and Rocky had been having.

"How much further to the top?" Chase asked.

"Uh, er, w-we still have four miles," Everest said, stumbling over her words as she tried to readjust like Rocky had.

"What's this?" Rocky asked, pointing to a tower of stacked stones about the pup's height.

Everest gave him a slight smile, grateful for the distraction. "That's a marker. See those orange ribbons leading into the trees? They lead to a cave that Jake and I sometimes use if a storm comes while we're on the mountain, or just want to camp out."

"Cool," Rocky said, then bounded up the trail.

"Are you okay?" Marshall asked, going to her side.

Everest gave him a genuine smile. "Yes, I'm fine." She gave him a nudge with her nose. "Now come on, we'll never get to the top at this rate."

The pups fell into their former positions and continued hiking.

* * *

Two miles from the summit, the trees cleared out to shrubs and rocks. The mountaintop had little snow, at least, since the wind blew any snow off of the exposed land immediately.

The pups labored up the rocky slope before having to stop a mile from the top. Even Rocky was breathless as he scrambled atop a boulder while the others sat. They took drinks from their water packs.

Everest closed her eyes, relishing the feel of the wind in her sweaty fur. The breeze had kicked up a few minutes before.

"Wow," Rocky breathed. "I can… see… so far!"

Everest opened her eyes to follow his gaze, albeit from a lower vantage point. From their height, they could see clear across the mountain range and surrounding forest. Adventure Bay looked like a toy town in the distance, with the Lookout a slim tower above it.

"It is amazing," Everest agreed.

"I've never… been so… high," Rocky said between pants.

Everest turned to smile at Rocky, but the smile dropped when she focused past him. She stood quickly, and leaped atop the boulder beside Rocky. She didn't turn in the direction he faced, but in the opposite direction.

She hadn't noticed before then, having been too distracted with conversation with the others, but the sky was getting dark. Thick clouds had been building. Now that Everest thought about it, the once gentle breeze had turned cold and biting.

"Everest?" Marshall asked.

Everest snapped back to the present. She turned to the pups watching her nervously.

"There's a storm coming," Everest told them. "We need to get off the mountain."

"What?" Rocky yelped. "But we're almost to the the top! Can't we go the rest of the way?"

Everest shook her head. "It's too risky. Storms come up fast around here. If there's lightning, there wouldn't be any place to take cover. We'd be fried!"

Rocky still looked hesitant. Luckily, Chase stepped in with a more convincing argument.

"We'll get soaked if we stay out here."

Rocky immediately leaped to the ground. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The pups wasted no time in turning back and racing toward the trees, where they would be safer than the open space. As they ran, Everest called Jake on her collar.

"Jake, there's a storm coming, and it looks bad. Make sure everyone gets inside right away."

"Okay, Everest. What about you four? Where are you?"

"A mile from the summit," Everest said. She gasped as a gust of wind threw her off-balance and sent Marshall stumbling into a bush. She and the others stopped to pull him out while she finished, "We're headed down now, but we might have to stay put in the cave if it gets too bad."

"Be careful," Jake warned her.

Everest smiled as the pups resumed running. "We will."

The breeze strengthened into a harsh breeze that often sent the pups stumbling to the side. Marshall tripped nearly every minute, and seemed to cover more ground rollling head over paws than he did actually on his paws.

By the time the pups reached the trees, snow had begun to fall. Marshall and Chase were shivering as the temperature rapidly dropped. Everest glanced back to find the sky darker than ever.

"We have to hurry," Rocky said.

"We probably won't make it back before the storm really hits," Everest said. "We need to make a shelter."

"W-with what-t-t?" Marshall stammered out.

"If we can make it two miles, there is that cave that Jake and I sometimes take shelter in," Everest said. "We'll need to cover the entrance, but there is wood for a fire and blankets inside."

Chase nodded. "L-let's do th-that."

The pups tried to hurry, but the cold was slowing them down. Even protected from most of the wind, the temperature kept dropping. Everest knew how quickly the temperature could drop below zero, and how dangerous that would be for her companions.

The effects were already showing as it was. Marshall couldn't walk straight anymore. He leaned heavily on Everest for support and direction. Chase shivered so hard that his teeth clattered. Rocky was better off, but he kept slipping on ice as he rushed. Even Everest had started to feel the cold.

"Come on, we're almost there," Everest urged, nudging Marshall when he tried to stop.

"Y-you said-d th-that las-st t-time," Marshall said.

"Well, we really are now," Everest said.

Rocky paused to shake himself. He threw a weary glare at the trees, where flakes of snow drifted through and onto the pups. The snow quickly melted, then froze again on the pups' fur, weighing them down.

"Frozen wet is so much worse than normal wet," Rocky grumbled.

"We'll b-build a f-fi-" Chase broke off with a yelp.

Everest looked quickly back in time to see Chase hit the ground with his paws splayed. She left Marshall to run to his side at the same time Rocky did.

"What happened?" Everest asked, crouching.

"He slipped," Rocky explained quickly. "There was ice, but I thought he saw it, but then he-"

"It-t's okay," Chase said. "I-it's just a s-sprain."

Chase went to stand, but yelped and fell back down. He curled his right foreleg close to his body with a whine.

Everest sniffed his paw. She couldn't detect any blood, but it was already swollen and obviously tender. Hopefully, it was just a bad sprain, but Chase wouldn't get far on it.

"W-we c-can't mak-ke it a-all th-the w-way ba-ack," Marshall stuttered out as he stumbled over to them. "It-t's t-too f-far."

"The cave is less than a mile away," Everest said. She watched Chase attempt to stand, but to the same result. She sighed. "We'll have to make a shelter here."

Wind, funneled by the surrounding trees, blasted down the trail, making the pups shiver. Everest moved higher up the trail to block some of the wind. Rocky shook his head.

"It's too cold without a proper shelter and fire. We have to get to the cave."

"How? Chase can't walk, and Marshall's about to collapse as it is," Everest said.

Rocky narrowed his eyes. "We need some sort of sled…"

Rocky seemed to forget the cold as he scanned the forest around them. Suddenly, he brightened and ran off the trail.

"Rocky!" Everest yelped.

"I'll be right back!" Rocky yelled back.

Everest remained where she was, straining her eyes to follow the gray shape moving in and out of the trees. After a minute, Rocky returned to the trail dragging a large branch with sticks piled inside.

"We can use this to pull Chase and Marshall," Rocky said. "We'll weave the smaller branches into the big one to make it more solid."

Everest looked at the pile of branches, then at Chase and Marshall huddled together. She nodded at Rocky.

Weaving the branches together with half-numb paws was no easy feat, but the pair had a pretty sturdy sled put together. They wrapped their scarves around their bodies for harnesses, then used rope from Everest's supplies to tie the sled to the scarves. Chase and Marshall laid on the sled, then Everest and Rocky started down the trail.

* * *

"There it is!"

Puffing from effort, Everest and Rocky dragged the sled off the trail and deeper into the forest, following the bright-colored rags that Jake had tied to trees. The pups soon reached a large hole in a hill, big enough for a full-grown man.

"Come on, we're here," Rocky said, squirming quickly out of his harness to nudge Chase. "We can get warm."

Chase lifted his head wearily, blinking hard against exhaustion from the efforts and cold, then stood slowly. Marshall wobbled to his paws, so cold he'd stopped shivering.

" _We have to hurry!"_ Everest thought.

Marshall all but fell into the hole, and Chase stumbled in behind him. Everest and Rocky -in a burst of energy upon finding the shelter- pushed them further inside.

A short tunnel led down to a round room about ten feet across. There was already a firepit in the center, and Jake had dug out a hole in the ceiling to let smoke out. There was a pile of dry wood against the far wall, along with a box of matches, a couple bottles of water, and thick blankets.

"Rocky, can you get a fire started?" Everest requested.

Rocky nodded and went to the firewood. Everest hurried outside and dragged the sled closer. She propped it in front of the entrance to keep out errant winds and keep in the warmth.

Further in, Rocky was coaxing a small fire to life with bark and dry leaves that had drifted into the cave. Chase huddled close to the tiny flame, but Marshall hadn't moved from where he had been pushed, staring blankly through half-open eyes.

Everest wearily went to the supplies and grabbed a blanket. She dragged it over to Marshall and draped it over him, then crawled under the blanket as well to share her warmth. At first, she got no response.

Then, Marshall started to violently shiver. Everest curled herself closer. She knew that Marshall starting to shiver was a good sign, but it was still scary for her.

Rocky, meanwhile, had a nice-sized fire by then. He stacked some more wood on it, then got a blanket and covered himself and Chase with it.

Everest pushed the still-shivering Marshall closer to the fire. Gradually, the shivering slowed as the cave warmed and Marshall's wet fire dried.

Everest tapped her collar. "Jake? This is Everest."

There wasn't any response, but Everest wasn't surprised. Storms made it nearly impossible to communicate from a distance. She just hoped that Jake and the others weren't too worried.

Marshall fell asleep, but a quick check found it to be from exhaustion, rather than the cold. Rocky took to wandering the cave once he was dry. Chase roused enough to tend to the fire.

"What now?" Chase eventually asked.

"We'll have to wait the storm out," Everest said. "It shouldn't be too long, this late in the season. Once it is clear, we can go back to the cabin."

"You're very calm about this," Rocky commented.

Everest laughed a little. "Jake and I get stranded in a storm about once a month. We aren't always so lucky to be close to one of our hideout caves, but we know how to make do."

"So, this is normal for you?" Chase asked, visibly relaxing.

"Yep. Remember, I met Jake when he was lost in a storm," Everest said.

Chase chuckled. "I forgot about that."

"You should have left games in here," Rocky threw in.

Everest looked at Rocky in amusement. He was stacking the remaining firewood in various ways. He frowned and knocked over his stack.

"Bored already?" Everest teased.

Rocky grunted, then gathered the wood up once again. Everest turned to Marshall.

"How's he doing?" Chase asked.

"He's not shivering," Everest asked.

"What else should we watch for?"

"Frostbite, mainly," Everest said. She nosed the blanket away from Marshall's paws. "We got into shelter quickly enough to avoid hypothermia, but he still could have gotten frostbite."

Everest and Chase checked Marshall's paws, tail, and ears. Luckily, there weren't any signs of frostbite.

"He's just tired," Everest said.

"He's been tired a lot lately," Chase commented, tucking the blanket around Marshall again.

"Why?" Everest asked.

Chase shrugged. "You heard about the deal with Wisp, right?"

Everest nodded. "But I thought that you had that fixed."

"We do. But Marshall still worries sometimes."

"That's Marshall," Everest said with a gentle smile.

"Yeah," Chase admitted. He chuckled. "That's what we love about him."

Everest yawned. "He does have the right idea, though. Let's get some rest while we wait out the storm."

"Good idea," Chase agreed.

Rocky gave up messing with the sticks and crawled under the blanket with Chase. Everest nudged Marshall closer to the pair, then curled up as well.

It wasn't long before Chase and Rocky's breathing evened out as they joined Marshall in sleep. Everest, exhausted from the trip, smiled sleepily before drifting off herself.

* * *

"Pups! Hello, can any of you hear me?"

Everest stirred. Who was talking?

"Chase? Marshall, are you there?"

"Yes, stop," Marshall mumbled beside Everest's ear. "We're sleeping, Skye."

For a moment, there was silence. Then, Everest was jarred. She jumped and opened her eyes to see Marshall stumble over his paws and fall across Rocky. Chase sat up more calmly, and tapped his collar.

"Yes, Skye, we're here."

"Oh, phew!" Skye's voice said from all the pups' collars. "I've been calling for ten minutes! Is everyone else with you?"

"Everyone's here," Chase confirmed.

"Good. Is anyone hurt?"

"Chase has a sprained paw, but that is all," Everest said.

Marshall leaped to his paws. "Chase got hurt?"

"I slipped," Chase said with a rueful chuckle.

"Is everyone okay there?" Everest asked.

"Yep. Rubble, Zuman, and Wisp are back at the cabin with Ruby. Ryder and Jake just started up the trail on their ATVs."

"Good."

"Where are you pups?" Skye asked. "I'm looking in my copter, but everything's covered in snow!"

"We'll go to the trail so you can see us," Everest said. "Come on, pups!"

The pups went to the entrance, where they found the branches covered in snow. Once they cleared the entrance, they found that it had really snowed since they had gone into the cave. The snow was up to their bellies.

Everest looked around, but she couldn't hear or see Skye's copter. The sky was clear again and, unless Everest was really turned around, the sun appeared to be just rising instead of setting.

"How long were we in there?" Rocky asked as he shook his snowy paws.

"The storm lasted all night," Skye told him.

"I hope no one was too worried," Everest said, wading toward the path. The other pups followed, Chase being helped by Marshall.

"Jake said that you'd take cover, but… he was scared for you, too, I think," Skye said.

"I totally was!" Jake called.

Everest giggled. "You know that I'm careful, Jake."

"There's some things you can't help, no matter how careful you are," Jake said seriously. Then, more brightly, he added, "Did you use the cave?"

"We did. It's a good thing we restocked the wood last time," Everest said. The pups stepped onto the trail. "Okay, we've reached the trail. Just fly up it until you see us. We'll wait here."

Chase immediately sat down and unwound Rocky's scarf. Everest's eyes widened at how swollen it was, then Chase stuck his paw into a mound of snow.

"Skye will take you back to the cabin," Everest said. Chase started to protest, but then Marshall spoke up.

"Definitely. You aren't taking one more step on that paw."

Chase looked between Everest and Marshall, then at Rocky. The mixed breed chuckled and took a step back.

"Don't look at me. You don't expect me to argue with those two, do you?"

"You'd better not," Everest said, feigning a scowl.

A moment later, the pups burst into laughter. They were distracted, though, by the sight of Skye's copter coming over the treetops.

"I see you!" Skye said over the collars. "Chase, I'm going to send the harness down for you. The trail is too narrow to land. The rest of you, Ryder and Jake are going up the trail as far as they can on the ATV's, then will walk the rest of the way to meet you."

"Got it," the pups chorused.

Skye's harness lowered to the ground. Marshall helped Chase into it, then the German Shepherd was lifted up to the copter, where he then climbed in. Once they were sure that he was safe, Everest, Marshall, and Rocky continued down the trail.

* * *

"Everest!"

Everest's ears pricked at the sound of Jake's voice. Happily, she called back, "Jake, we're here!"

Feeling a burst of energy, Everest started running. Rocky barked when Ryder called. Marshall, having become sluggish again, gave a small yelp. Soon, the Everest spotted the boys.

Everest didn't' even slow as she barrelled down the final stretch of trail. She bounded into Jake's arms, knocking him backward onto his rear, and started licking his face. Jake laughed and hugged her for a minute, then pushed her back.

"Are you okay, Everest? Nothing hurt?"

Everest giggled. "I'm fine, Jake. What about you?"

" _I'm_ not the one who had to spend the night outside," Jake said.

"Well, then we're both okay," Everest said, cuddling her body into Jake.

Jake wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. "Let's get back to the cabin."

* * *

"Wisp-"

"No arguing!"

Everest squirmed under the two blankets that Wisp had insisted putting on her. "Wisp, I'm melting under all this! My fur's really thick, remember?"

Wisp frowned, but did take a blanket away. Everest sighed contentedly. Besides the blanket, she was laying beside the roaring fireplace with a mug of hot puppy tea between her paws.

Once the pups had returned to the cabin, they found that Wisp had taken charge of getting the lost pups taken care of. Chase had already been bundled in blankets and his paw had been wrapped. Wisp hadn't wasted any time in ordering the three other pups in front of the fire.

"She's worse than a drill sergeant," Chase whispered.

"I heard that!" Wisp called over Rocky's back. "And I take that as a compliment."

Everest giggled, then looked at Zuma. "How'd you ever keep her here when Jake and Ryder came to get us?"

"Somebody had to watch Ruby," Wisp said.

Everest looked at Skye playing with Ruby and Rubble. The cockapoo waited until Wisp turned her back, then winked. Everest grinned.

Everest cuddled closer to Marshall, who had finally roused in front of the fire. He grinned at her and carefully put his head on her shoulder.

"Next time, we should pay closer attention to the weather," Rocky commented.

"You want to go again?" Chase raised an eyebrow.

"I never did get to see the view from the top," Rocky said.

"Wisp," Zuma said, catching Everest's attention. "Come hewe."

"Hm?" Wisp turned from watching the fire. "What's up?"

"You should sleep," Zuma said. "You wewe up all night."

"What? No, I'm-" Wisp stopped with a yelp when Ryder scooped her up. "Ryder!"

"Zuma's right. You didn't sleep well last night," Ryder lightly scolded. "Everybody's taken care of, so you can rest now, too."

"But I'm not…" Wisp trailed off with a yawn. "Tired."

Zuma chuckled. "Wight. And I'm the abominable snow pup."

"That'd be a sight," Wisp said with a snort. She yawned again.

Smiling, Ryder took Everest's discarded blanket and bundled Wisp up. He sat in one of the armchairs and held Wisp in his lap. Zuma jumped up beside Wisp, and the pups curled together. Before long, Wisp and Ryder -who'd probably not slept the previous night, either- had dropped off.

"Poor dude and dudette," Jake said, gently wrapping a blanket around Ryder's shoulders. "They were so worried last night."

"We all were," Skye said, sneaking a look at Chase.

Chase gave Skye a small, hesitant smile. While Skye didn't quite return it, she did take Ruby and moved to lay between Rocky and Chase.

Everest watched Skye and Chase. Rocky was right about something happening with them -Skye usually would have been cuddled up to Chase the entire time- but they were hopefully getting past it.

She was distracted by another thought. While Skye and Chase's issues weren't apparent enough to address, maybe they could deal with another question.

"Do you think Ryder would mind if we used his Pup-Pad?" Everest asked.

"Doubt it," Zuma said, looking at where it sat on the table. "Why?"

"I want to look into Pine Ridge," Everest said. "I know there's something important I read before. It might have to do with why Wisp left."

"We can't go behind Wisp's back," Skye said, sounding horrified.

"Maybe we should wait until she's ready to tell us," Chase said cautiously.

"If she hasn't told you now, I don't think she will," Everest said. "Something made her want to move on."

"So, we're just going to invade her privacy?" Skye asked.

"We're just researching where she lived before now," Everest argued. "I could be wrong, and she just likes to travel."

"If you do that, it could be like stepping on an ice slick," Jake warned. "Once it starts, you won't be able to stop whatever follows. And someone could get hurt."

Everest blinked as Jake left the room. "That was… grim."

"Well, I'm curious," Rocky said. "Whatever happened before, it couldn't have been that bad."

Rocky stood and went to grab Ryder's Pup Pad. He sat off to the side with it, and started padding at the screen. Rubble went to watch over his shoulder, and Marshall was right behind him. Despite Jake's warning, Everest joined them as Rocky pulled up the Pine Ridge site.

"There's nothing much here," Rocky said after a minute. "But look, here's Flurry!"

Chase and Skye went to see the picture of the dog who had taught Wisp.

The Bernese Mountain dog was middle-aged. He had a friendly, cheerful face. He was muscular and lean, and wore a small pack around his middle.

After a few minutes of checking the site, the pups didn't find anything that could have caused Wisp to leave. There wasn't mention of any other rescue dogs, either.

"Why isn't Wisp in here?" Rubble asked.

Everest peeked at Ryder and Wisp still sleeping. "She's been here for almost a year. We need to look further back."

Rocky tried searching for major events at the Pine Ridge ski slope. The first article that came up had the bold headlines of "Disaster on the Slopes!" It was dated two years prior.

Rocky paused with his paw over the article. "Pups, I… I think this is it."

"We have to know," Marshall said, leaning closer.

Rocky took a breath and pressed the screen. The image of an old news article popped up, and the pups started reading silently.

 _"Major snowfall in the last week brought a record number of skiers to Pine Ridge to enjoy one last run before the season officially ends. Warming temperatures and an approaching storm, however, turned a happy day into one of terror."_

 _"While forecasters predicted a clear day, storm clouds began to gather at eleven o'clock in the morning. By two in the afternoon, the sky had gone dark. Skiers ignored staff's warning of the impending storm in favor of skiing. For a couple hours, all was well. Then, disaster struck."_

 _"Witnesses report hearing a crash of thunder, followed by the sound of what could only be described as Mother Nature on a rampage. As lighting cut the sky, thousands of pounds of snow broke loose from the top of the ski mountain. There was no warning, and more than forty skiers were reported to be on the mountain at the time. Rescue workers -including two snow rescue dogs- rushed to the scene."_

Everest's eyes fell on a picture in the article. The picture showed two dogs, side by side. Flurry stood tall and solemn. The young dog beside him was mimicking the action, though a grin was breaking through the serious face. The caption below read, _"Rescue dogs, Flurry(left) and Sleet(right)"_

Everest studied the younger dog. She was a border collie with familiar markings. Her left ear flopped over, and she wore an orange-brown bandana around her neck.

"Wisp?" Zuma whispered.

Everest hadn't heard the lab come over, but she felt the same shock held in his voice. There was something carefree and happy about the Wisp in the picture. Something that the brisk, sarcastic border collie she knew was missing.

"She looks so happy there," Rubble said. "Why'd she leave?"

Chase made a choked noise in the back of his throat. "Keep reading."

Everest's eyes ran down the article, skimming the dramatic retellings of of skiers dug from mounds of snow and the tedious tower of snow that remained on the top of the mountain. They fell on one paragraph, and Everest couldn't hold back a gasp.

 _"By evening, all the skiers had returned to the lodge. Spirits were high as the last of the snow flooded down the slopes that should have been empty. But when another count was made, one of the staff was reported missing. Sleet, the brave young border collie that had dug out over a dozen skiers on her own, never returned to the lodge. She is assumed-"_

Everst couldn't read the last word, but Chase mumbled it aloud.

"Deceased."

"What? Then that couldn't have been Wisp," Everest said, saddened by the loss of a brave dog, but relieved that it hadn't been Wisp.

"Maybe it was her, but she hit her head and lost her memories," Rubble said. "It's just like that one episode of Apollo-"

"She remembers Pine Ridge and Flurry," Rocky pointed out.

"Okay, so it's like this other episode, where Apollo pretended that he lost his memory so he could get close to the bad guys," Rubble said.

"We aren't the bad guys," Skye giggled, tucking Ruby between her paws.

"These have to be different pups," Chase said. "Sleet-"

"Hush," Zuma interrupted. "Listen."

Everest pricked her ears and caught the sound of a whimper. She turned and realized the sound had come from Wisp. She continued to give small whines until Ryder shifted and held her closer. The whines trailed off without either waking up.

"I don't know whethew ow not this is Wisp," Zuma whispered. "But something sent Wisp hewe. She has nightmawes, but wefuses to tell me what they awe."

"We can't exactly ask her about this now," Rocky said, closing the Pup Pad.

Everest sighed. They had clues about what could have been Wisp's past, but there wasn't really any way to check it, short of asking Wisp or going to Pine Ridge themselves. And Everest didn't think either way would work. Wisp would probably keep silent, and she didn't think anyone at Pine Ridge would believe that Wisp was Sleet without any confirmation from Wisp.

"Jake was right," Everest said with a sigh. "This got us nowhere."

"Maybe they're the same, maybe they aren't," Chase said. "We'll just have to wait until Wisp is ready to tell us."

"So… we'we back whewe we stawted with Wisp?" Zuma asked drily.

The pups looked awkwardly at each other. Eventually, Everest spoke up.

"Looks like it."

* * *

 **A/N: So, there's Rocky's and Everest's (somewhat, I didn't have anything much for her) backgrounds. I have plans to give some more of Skye's planned in a couple chapters, and Zuma's will be given soon as well. The exact details of Marshall's is still being sorted, and may take longer to come out.**

 **Guest review responses!**

 **Zuma lover: Um... I kind of need more than just titles for a story idea. Please, could you choose one of those, and tell me some details on what you want to happen.**


End file.
